As Kenya implements the Competency-Based Education (CBE) Senior School phase, parents are facing a stark financial reality: in Cluster 1 schools, the fees they pay often exceed twice the government’s per-learner contribution. While the state provides capitation grants to support basic education, these funds cover only a fraction of the actual cost of delivering high-quality, pathway-driven education under CBE. Understanding why requires a closer look at how these schools operate and what is expected of them.

Cluster 1 schools, largely drawn from the former national school system, are designed to provide comprehensive education across all three CBE senior pathways: STEM, Social Sciences, and Arts and Sports Science. Unlike in the previous system, where specialisation was minimal, these schools are now tasked with delivering applied learning experiences, career-aligned projects, and holistic co-curricular programmes. Meeting these standards requires significant infrastructure, specialist staff, and operational capacity, all of which contribute to higher fees.

The Funding Gap

Government capitation is intended to cover essential teaching materials and basic operational costs. However, boarding, meals, specialised pathway resources, ICT infrastructure, arts studios, sports facilities, and salaries for highly trained subject-specialist teachers are largely funded by parents. In many top-tier boarding schools, parental contributions for tuition, accommodation, and co-curricular support can exceed Ksh 53,554 per learner, effectively more than doubling the government’s support.

This gap is not arbitrary. Delivering STEM education, for instance, requires laboratories equipped for physics, chemistry, and biology experiments, as well as computers and software for applied technology learning. Arts and Sports Science pathways demand fully equipped studios, rehearsal spaces, performance venues, and coaching staff capable of nurturing talent. Social Sciences pathways require debate halls, research materials, and project-based learning infrastructure. Maintaining these facilities is cost-intensive and ongoing, and the government's capitation alone cannot sustain them.

Why Parents Shoulder Most of the Cost

Part of the explanation lies in the specialist staffing model. Each pathway requires qualified instructors and smaller class sizes to facilitate competency-based learning. This increases salary expenditures, which parental contributions must supplement. Additionally, CBE’s emphasis on applied learning, projects, and community-based assignments requires consumables, technology, and supervision, further driving costs.

Delays in government capitation payments intensify the situation. In many schools, partial or late disbursements force administrators to rely on parental contributions to maintain smooth operations. This is not just a financial challenge; it reflects a structural vulnerability in the way competency-based schooling is funded. Without these parental contributions, schools would struggle to deliver the quality of education expected under CBE.

Implications for Equity

While Cluster 1 schools are technically public, the high cost of participation increasingly links access to a family’s financial capacity. Families able to pay secure their children's access to a pathway-rich education with superior facilities, experienced instructors, and co-curricular opportunities. Those unable to meet the costs may face limited access, even within the public school system. This raises concerns about equity, particularly in a system designed to broaden access and align education with career readiness.

From a policy perspective, the current funding model reflects a trade-off between quality and accessibility. Maintaining high-quality CBE delivery necessitates parental contributions, but if the government intends these schools to remain publicly accessible, reforms are needed. Without adjustments, top-tier public education risks becoming a privilege for those with financial means rather than a right for all.

The situation in Cluster 1 schools is both predictable and instructive. Delivering high-quality, pathway-rich learning is resource-intensive, and parents are effectively funding the quality, infrastructure, and career-aligned learning experiences that government capitation alone cannot cover.

To address this funding gap, a few practical measures could help: increasing capitation for Cluster 1 schools to better reflect the cost of specialised pathways and boarding facilities; introducing pathway-specific subsidies for STEM labs, arts programs, and sports facilities to ease the parental burden; and ensuring timely and full disbursement of government funds so schools do not have to rely heavily on parents for operational liquidity. Implementing these changes would better align quality, equity, and accessibility, helping ensure that CBE’s promise reaches all learners, not only those who can afford additional costs.