The Senate Committee on Education has called on the County Government of Kilifi to increase fee capitation to Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) centers to make ECDE accessible to more learners.
Members decried the charging of fees at the county government-run ECDE centers, saying the levies are unlawful and should be abolished because they have discouraged enrollment at the centers.
The committee, led by Chairperson Senator Betty Montet, on Tuesday toured Sabaki Mgurureni ECDE Centre in Sabaki Ward and Malindi Central ECDE Centre in Malindi Town Ward on Tuesday, where they expressed concern over dwindling numbers of young learners and inadequate classrooms.
At the Sabaki Mgurureni ECDE center, parents are required to pay Sh3,000 per child per year, while those at the Malindi Central ECDE center pay Sh1,800 per child per year. The senators described the fees as prohibitive.
They noted that only 12 children had been enrolled in Pre-Primary One (PP1) compared to 48 in Pre-Primary Two (PP2) at the Mgurureni ECDE center, yet the population of children in the area was high.
“We were not too happy with the population at the Sabaki Mgurureni ECDE center because it was very low in PP1. After interrogating teachers and parents, we realized the drop is due to payment of fees, which is totally unacceptable,” said Prof. Margaret Kamar, a nominated senator.
She told journalists in an interview that government policy requires that ECDE children should not be charged.
“In fact, they should be fed with porridge at 10 o’clock, which we were happy to see. But the Sh1,000 per term fee is driving parents away,” she added.
Senator Nderitu Kinyua (Laikipia) echoed the concerns, saying many children in Mgurureni village were staying away from ECDE centers because of the high cost. He also pointed out infrastructural challenges, citing inadequate classrooms at Malindi Central ECDE Centre.
The senators were further shocked by conditions at Mgurureni Primary School, a feeder institution, where pupils from Grades One to Six were found sitting on the floor despite modern classrooms having been built in 2022 through the Magarini NG-CDF.
“Learners were told to go out and play to avoid embarrassment when we arrived. There were no desks at all. Even teachers sit on the floor. This is unacceptable,” Senator Kinyua said, urging the Education Cabinet Secretary to visit grassroots schools instead of “sitting in Nairobi.”
Senator Seki Lenku Kanar (Kajiado) described the situation as “surprising and saddening,” noting that children were forced to sit on gunny bags during lessons.
In response, Kilifi County Executive Committee Member for Education Felkin Kaingu acknowledged the challenges and pledged corrective action.
He confirmed that the county was already sending capitation funds and porridge supplies to ECDE centers and warned school heads against imposing unauthorized levies.
“We have taken the concerns raised here. These are very pertinent issues. As a government, we have done capitation to ensure as many children as possible access education. I want to put it clearly that if there is any need to charge fees, I am the only person who can authorize it,” Mr. Kaingu said.
By Emmanuel Masha
