The Ministry of Education has recommended the dissolution of the Board of Management at Alliance Girls High School after an investigative assessment uncovered serious financial irregularities, including the approval of fees far above the amount allowed by government.

In letters dated April 29, 2026, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migosi Ogamba directed action against the school board and Principal Margaret Njeru following a probe conducted by the Ministry’s Quality Assurance and Standards Directorate on April 28, 2026.

The investigation found that the board approved a financial year 2025/2026 budget that set 2026 fees at KSh 120,179 per student, more than double the government approved figure of KSh 53,554.

According to the Ministry, the unauthorised fees structure created an excess of about KSh 13 million, which the school has now been directed to address.

The report also flagged several expenditure items described as non essential and unrealistic, including KSh 1.1 million for moral and spiritual activities, KSh 16 million for annual trips, KSh 13 million for prize giving and speeches, KSh 5 million for prize vouchers, sweets and examiners, and KSh 3 million for airtime and administrative allowances.

One of the most striking items cited was the board’s approval on October 16, 2025, to spend KSh 25 million on a five day staff trip to Dubai.

The Ministry has instructed the Regional Director of Education for the Central Region to present the report to the County Education Board for consideration and appropriate action, including the possible dissolution of the Alliance Girls High School Board under the Basic Education Act, 2013.

Separately, the Ministry has recommended that the Teachers Service Commission institute disciplinary action against Principal Margaret Njeru for presiding over the implementation of an unauthorised fees structure, which the Ministry says violated Section 29(2)(b) of the Basic Education Act.

Beyond the Ministry’s findings, internal complaints from teachers and parents have raised deeper concerns about what they describe as an entrenched power structure at the school involving the principal, two deputies and selected board members who allegedly control key decisions and revenue streams.

The complainants claim the school has been admitting more students than allocated by the Ministry, with reports that while about 600 Form One slots were available, the school admitted around 700 students.

Some of the additional admission slots were allegedly sold for at least KSh 150,000 each, claims that have deepened concerns over whether admission into one of Kenya’s most prestigious national schools has been turned into a revenue opportunity for insiders.

Questions have also been raised over a phone booth system at the school, where more than 20 phones are reportedly operated as a revenue generating business charging students KSh 20 per minute.

According to the complaints, students are barred from using teachers’ phones, while proceeds from the school phone system are said to support needy students, although complainants claim there are no transparent records showing how the money is collected, managed or spent.

Teachers who question financial dealings, overcrowding or administrative decisions are allegedly sidelined, denied favourable classes or targeted through disciplinary processes, while new administrators are reportedly pressured to fit into the existing system.

The complaints also point to deteriorating learning conditions, with class sizes said to have grown to about 70 students against a recommended maximum of 55, making effective teaching and implementation of the Competency Based Curriculum difficult.

Dormitories are also said to be overcrowded, raising concerns about student welfare, safety and the quality of life in a school that has historically been viewed as one of the country’s elite learning institutions.

There are further allegations of double standards in discipline, with claims that students from influential families or those linked to staff aligned with the administration are treated leniently, while others face harsher punishment for similar offences.

Concerns have also been raised over claims of substance abuse, truancy and inappropriate relationships that complainants say have not been addressed with the seriousness expected of a national school.

Some board members are also accused of overstaying their terms, with claims that certain individuals have served for up to 15 years, creating what teachers and parents describe as a closed system that is difficult to question or reform.

The revelations have triggered concern among parents, alumni and education stakeholders, many of whom are now questioning how a school with the national prestige of Alliance Girls could end up at the centre of such serious allegations.

The school’s motto, “Walk in the Light,” now stands in sharp contrast to allegations of opacity, favouritism and financial impropriety that the Ministry of Education and other oversight bodies may be forced to confront directly.

For parents, the bigger question is no longer just about money, but whether public national schools have quietly become expensive private empires controlled by a few powerful individuals while ordinary families are squeezed through illegal levies and questionable charges.

The Ministry’s recommendation to dissolve the board now places Alliance Girls High School under intense scrutiny, with the County Education Board and the Teachers Service Commission expected to determine the next course of action against the board and the school leadership.