The Kenyan High Court just struck down rules forcing parents to pay school costs through the eCitizen platform. Justice Chacha Mwita declared that these rules broke constitutional law. He canceled the January 2024 paper from Education leader Belio Kipsang that started this mess. The judge said officials never asked regular citizens what they thought before making this big change.
The court also found the extra fifty-shilling fee tacked onto each payment breaks the law. Parents already pay taxes that fund government services, yet officials wanted them to shell out more cash for using a system they never requested. Justice Mwita called this unfair double-charging completely unreasonable. He questioned why anyone should pay extra to keep a mandatory system running.
Nobody explained who collects this money or where it goes afterward. Nakuru doctor Magare Gikenyi brought this case forward because he saw these problems. He pointed out that no laws exist showing how these funds work or return to people who pay them. The doctor argued that officials never talked with parents or schools before forcing everyone into this payment method.
The judge agreed, saying officials broke the law by skipping talks with education partners. This system hurts parents who might pay with farm goods instead of money. Many Kenyans lack the phones or internet connections needed to use eCitizen. Justice Mwita concluded this creates unfair treatment against certain groups of parents simply because they lack technology access.
The court also found the extra fifty-shilling fee tacked onto each payment breaks the law. Parents already pay taxes that fund government services, yet officials wanted them to shell out more cash for using a system they never requested. Justice Mwita called this unfair double-charging completely unreasonable. He questioned why anyone should pay extra to keep a mandatory system running.
Nobody explained who collects this money or where it goes afterward. Nakuru doctor Magare Gikenyi brought this case forward because he saw these problems. He pointed out that no laws exist showing how these funds work or return to people who pay them. The doctor argued that officials never talked with parents or schools before forcing everyone into this payment method.
The judge agreed, saying officials broke the law by skipping talks with education partners. This system hurts parents who might pay with farm goods instead of money. Many Kenyans lack the phones or internet connections needed to use eCitizen. Justice Mwita concluded this creates unfair treatment against certain groups of parents simply because they lack technology access.
