Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has warned school principals and headteachers across Kenya: stop charging extra fees—or face serious consequences.

Speaking at a forum in Mombasa with university stakeholders, Ogamba made it clear that any additional levies not approved by the government are illegal. He said disciplinary action would follow for any school leader found guilty.

“No principal or headteacher is allowed to charge fees outside what the government has set,” Ogamba said. “We’ve said this before, and now the court has confirmed it—those levies are unlawful.”

The warning follows a recent High Court ruling that supported the government’s stance on free education. On June 16, the court ruled that school heads cannot impose any extra charges unless approved by the Education CS. The case was filed by a concerned parent from a top Nairobi school.

Ogamba stressed that public schools receive government capitation to support free education. “We give money to these schools. No one should burden parents with unauthorized fees,” he added.

This wasn’t the first warning. Back in May, Ogamba had already cautioned schools to stop demanding extra payments from parents.

In a separate but related case, the High Court on April 1 ruled against the government's move to force parents to pay school fees through the eCitizen platform. Judge Chacha Mwita said the directive lacked proper public input. He also questioned the Ksh50 convenience fee charged through the platform, saying it had no legal basis.

Earlier this year, President William Ruto had declared that using eCitizen for payments was non-negotiable and blamed resistance on corrupt networks. But the courts have now slowed down that plan.

The big takeaway? The government wants schools to stick to the rules—and so does the law.