Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok has directed education officials to identify schools accused of charging exploitative prices for school uniforms, citing violations of competition regulations.
The directive follows a warning from the Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) against restrictive market practices that limit where parents can buy school uniforms. Bitok said some schools continue to enforce exclusive supply arrangements, compelling parents to purchase uniforms from specific vendors at inflated prices.
“The Ministry notes with concern that parents have expressed frustrations with schools’ requirements and guidelines that undermine these explicit legal provisions. This has resulted in restrictive market options and exploitative pricing of school uniforms,” said Bitok.
The Principal Secretary urged schools to comply with a presidential directive allowing learners to report to their new institutions in their Junior School uniforms until they can afford the new school attire.
Bitok cited correspondences referencing the Basic Education Act and the Competition Act, which require learning institutions to ensure that the supply and purchase of school uniforms and other materials occur in a fair, competitive, and open market.
The Basic Education Act specifically discourages schools from restricting parents to buy uniforms from the institution or designated stockists, a practice that has drawn widespread criticism from parents and consumer rights advocates.
The Ministry of Education has pledged to work with the CAK to ensure compliance and protect parents from unfair pricing practices in the education sector.
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