By Ongaga Ongaga
The Ministry of Education has moved to crack down on alleged financial mismanagement at Alliance Girls High School, recommending the dissolution of its Board of Management (BoM).
The move follows a damning investigative report that exposes inflated school fees and questionable expenditure.
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In a letter dated April 29, 2026, addressed to the Regional Director of Education in Nyeri, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba revealed that the school’s board approved a 2025/2026 budget that set annual fees at KSh 120,179—more than double the government-approved cap of KSh 53,554.
“The Board of Management approved the FY 2025/2026 budget with the 2026 fees structure set at KSh 120,179, exceeding the Government-approved amount,” the letter states.
The ministry’s Quality Assurance and Standards Directorate, which conducted the investigation on April 28, found that the inflated fees were driven by “non-essential and unrealistic expenditure areas.”
Among the most striking allocations were KSh 1.1 million for “moral and spiritual activities,” KSh 16 million for annual trips, and a staggering KSh 13 million for prize giving and speeches.
Additional questionable expenses included KSh 5 million for vouchers, sweets, and examiners, and KSh 3 million for airtime and administrative allowances.
The report further exposes what appears to be reckless decision-making by the board.
“The Board of Management failed in its duty to guide on prudent management of financial resources,” the ministry notes.
In one particularly controversial instance, the board allegedly approved KSh 25 million for a five-day staff trip to Dubai during a meeting held on October 16, 2025—an expense that now sits at the center of the outrage.
Even more concerning, the school administration was reportedly tasked with finding ways to cover a KSh 13 million budget deficit created by these expenditures.
The unfolding scandal raises fresh questions about accountability in top national schools, long regarded as centers of excellence but now increasingly under scrutiny for financial excesses that burden parents.
The ministry did not mince its words, concluding that the board’s conduct warranted decisive action.
“The report recommends the dissolution of the school’s Board of Management on account of the foregoing findings,” Ogamba wrote.
The Regional Director has now been instructed to escalate the matter to the County Education Board for urgent consideration and action, in line with the Basic Education Act.
“Please take prompt action, noting that time is of the essence,” the Cabinet Secretary directed.
