This archive report was first published on 26 September 2019.
On September 26, 2019, parents of Ndakaini Mixed-Day Secondary School in Gatanga, Murang'a County, were up in arms after students were sent home to collect money for bread, accusing the administration of imposing the fee without consulting them.
The parents, who wished to remain anonymous, claimed they were forced to pay Sh960 for bread each term, in addition to the Sh800 tuition fees. They felt the levy was too high for a day school.
According to the parents, students who had not paid the bread fee were sent home last week, and most had not resumed by Monday. This meant that for the 500 students, the administration collected Sh480,000 for bread per term.
An invoice from a Nairobi-based bakery to the school showed that the school bought bread worth Sh167,670 per month. Simple calculations revealed that the school bought bread at retail price, rather than wholesale price, an issue the parents had complained about.
The parents felt that the money expected per student was too much, given that the administration was supplied on wholesale price since the bread was brought in bulk. They had never been consulted when the management came up with the plan.
Following the uproar, the school management and the Parents Teachers Association arranged a series of meetings to convince the parents on the need to pay the money. However, parents who attended the meetings claimed they were 'coerced' into agreeing because the school knew a media house was following up the matter.
