The government, through the Ministry of Education, has announced a crackdown targeting schools inflating school uniform prices and violating government directives.
Through a statement on Wednesday, February 4, the Principal Secretary in the State Department of Basic Education directed all regional and county directors to create and enforce laws on school uniform supply and purchase, warning that non-compliant schools will face legal action and sanctions.
PS Bitok noted that the move follows a directive by the Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) prohibiting restrictive market practices that limit where parents can purchase school uniforms.
While addressing the matter, Bitok said some schools have continued to enforce exclusive supply arrangements, forcing parents to buy uniforms from specific vendors at inflated prices.
“The Ministry notes with concern that parents have expressed frustrations with schools’ requirements and guidelines that undermine these explicit legal provisions. This has resulted in restrictive market options and exploitative pricing of school uniforms,” he noted.
As per the Constitution, the Basic Education Act and the Competition Act have provisions that require learning institutions to ensure the supply and purchase of school uniforms and other materials are subject to a fair, competitive, and open market.
Specifically, the Basic Education Act discourages schools from restricting parents from purchasing uniforms from the institution or exclusive stockists.
The matter of school uniforms has been a bone of contention in 2026, particularly for students transitioning into Grade 10.
According to reports, some school head teachers had declined to admit some students to senior schools due to a lack of school uniforms, which prompted a confrontational response from the government.
This was contrary to a recent government directive, which directed that schools were to allow learners to report in their respective Junior School uniform until they were able to purchase the uniform of their new schools.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba had threatened to sack any school principal who had declined to admit a student due to the school uniform or lack of fees.
“Any teacher who will decline to admit a student just because the student does not have school fees or a uniform should also be ready to go back to school,” The Education CS said during a public event in Kisii on Sunday, January 26.
