UDA MP leads parents in crying for govt’s help over high cost of education
Parents from Gatanga lower Murang’a have urged the government to lower the cost of education in the country to make it affordable to all children.
The parents said despite claims that the basic education is free, they are being forced to pay huge amounts of money which they say is not affordable.
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They said they have been forced to sell almost all properties in their homes and they have been left with nothing.
Naomi Ndinda, a parent said they are opting to keep their children at home due to financial constraints as they cannot afford to raise the required fee.
“The government should ensure education is free or affordable even to those with little or no income,” said Ndinda.
Monicah Njeri, another parent said she has been taking foodstuffs and livestock to the school to compensate for the fees but still it’s not enough.
“I have nothing left at home and with no source of income, am unable to raise the money required to keep my child in school,” said Njeri.
“The government has been saying education is free but this is not the case because we are being forced to dig deep into our pockets,” she added.
Area Member of Parliament Edward Muriu said the government has abdicated its responsibility in the education sector putting the burden back on the parents.
Muriu said the government is deliberately killing the free basic education and this might see many children in the country miss out on acquiring education.
Speaking at his backyard during the issuance of bursaries to secondary school students on Monday 26th January 2026, the Mp said instead of making the education system better, the government has made it worse by failing to allocate enough resources warning that this might compromise its quality.
He claimed that money meant to crucial projects is being used in political management and sectors such as education are being starved of resources.
“The money the government claimed it has released to the schools is barely enough to cater for the huge debts that the leaning institutions have incurred,” said the Mp.
“Schools are running on debts and some are at risk of being auctioned because they haven’t been receiving money to facilitate the operations,” added Muriu.
The legislator said the government should ensure education is affordable to all children adding that this only way to ensure the population is empowered.
“The government wants to reduce people to beggars for easier manipulation instead of empowering them,” he added.
