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Nicki Bigfish warns parents against being drawn to schools with fancy international names
11th January, 2026 11:15 AM
Prankster and content creator Nicki Bigfish has cautioned Kenyan parents against being swayed by the allure of schools with international branding, highlighting how such labels can lead to unnecessarily high fees and exploitative practices.
In a post shared on Facebook on Saturday, January 10, 2026, Bigfish revealed that owners often attach words like ‘international’ to the names of institutions, regardless of the quality of education or global exposure offered, as a strategy to attract middle-class families willing to pay a premium for perceived prestige.
“If you want to legally rob people in Kenya, especially the middle class. Without harming them, just start a primary school and give it a glorious name,” Nicki wrote.
Nicki explained that once the name is in place, proprietors frequently inflate fees by adding charges for activities such as ballet, chess, band, taekwondo, swimming, and termly sports days, often without corresponding value.
He added that costs can escalate further through foreign trips, interview fees, admission fees, transport, and specific uniform requirements, all while the curriculum remains the standard Kenyan CBC.
“But, in between the name and school, add INTERNATIONAL. KING’S INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL. In the curriculum, add things like Ballet, Chess, Band, Taekwondo, and Swimming. Now, put whatever figure you want on the fee structure. Rob them,” Nicki added.
Bigfish emphasised that, in many cases, the school leadership, including head teachers, may have limited international experience, with some having travelled no further than domestic locations for training or retreats, despite the International label suggesting otherwise.
He noted that these practices allow owners to amass wealth while exploiting parents’ aspirations for quality education.
“Buy a bus, Charge 17,400 as a transport fee per month. Steal, organise a parents’ sports day every term, steal. A trip outside the country once a term, put whatever figure, let’s say 312,047, to Egypt for four days. Interviews every term, charge them 5,000. Put the admission fee at 15,000. Even pre-school. Uniforms are to be sourced from one very specific shop at twelof milyen. OMOKAAA,” he shared.
The social media personality advised parents to conduct thorough research on schools, warning that flashy names do not guarantee superior education, and that the fees charged often do not reflect additional learning benefits.
“Mark you, the curriculum is CBC, King’s International School is only based in Embakasi, all the pupils are Kenyan, Mr Wafula, the head teacher, has no passport, and the furthest he has ever gone is Mombasa for a teachers’ retreat. Breakfast weka mkate na smokie. Call yourself a Director. Get rich, NO DCI. Pesa ni yao, akili ni yako!” he wrote.
Author
Steve Ireri
Steve is a senior writer with over four years of experience in digital journalism. His focus is on the showbiz and human interest stories. Emails: [email protected] , [email protected]
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