Khalwale offers to sponsor KCPE pupil harvesting sand to raise school fees

Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale has offered to sponsor the secondary school education of an underprivileged boy he found harvesting sand in the Shinyalu constituency to raise fees.

He said the boy scored 352 marks in this year's KCPE exams whose results were released on Wednesday. 

"Tough boy. No human is limited. Found this boy Augustine Nangabo at Shielelwa in Shinyalu Constituency harvesting sand to raise money for Form one admission. He scored 352. Took up the responsibility to sponsor him," Khalwale said in a social media post.

Secondary school education is free but parents have to foot boarding costs.

The government on November 23 said that parents will from January have to dig deeper into their pockets for their children's education as it announced plans to revert to the fee structure that existed before COVID-19.

Then Basic Education Principal Secretary Jwan Julius said in a circular that the government would end the school fees subsidy that had been introduced to cushion parents during the pandemic. 

Jwan said the move was informed by the revised 2023 school calendar for which has longer weeks.

The changes will see parents with children in national and extra-county schools pay Sh53,554, up from the Sh45,000.

Learners in county and sub-county boarding secondary schools will be required to part with Sh40,535 per year, up from Sh35,000.

Learners in day schools will continue paying for their lunch but the government will continue allocating them Sh22,400 capitation for tuition fees and other expenses.