President William Ruto has ordered the revival of school fees payments through the e-Citizen system to boost transparency. Experts and parents complain the move ignores rural economic realities.
President Ruto defended the directive on Thursday during the second education conference held in Naivasha. He said digital payments would allow verification of details and reduce losses from cash transactions.
“Today, a parent should pay fees from home through e-Citizen, where we can verify that information,” Ruto said. He stressed that his administration would no longer handle cash because it is hard to track.
Policy adviser Boaz Waruku of the Elimu Bora Working Group said the system would disadvantage parents who settle fees with crops, food or manual labour. He warned that some children could miss out on education due to government pressure.