Kilifi,KENYA:School heads in Kilifi county are in a dilemma over a directive earlier issued to them to release the certificates of K.C.S.E students who owe fees arrears to schools.
Ruto made the directive in late of 2016, but it still yet to be executed .
Kilifi County Director of Education Moses Karati has urged all secondary school Principals to honor the directive by Deputy President William Ruto to release Kenya Certificate of Secondary Exams to the respective students.
Speaking in his offices on Thursday, Karati told Baraka FM that he did not understand why the principles were defying the directive as the government knows how to settle the fees balances.
“Why should the principles keep holding the Certificates in the first place, what will the Certificates help them with if they keep them?”Karati questioned.
“No principal should hold any student’s certificate and they should release them immediately,” he added.
He called on all students who have been denied their K.C.S.E certificates to report to his office and other education offices in the entire County.
However a principal who spoke to Baraka Fm and sort anonymity said it is hard for them to honor the Deputy President’s directive since most of the students owe the schools huge amounts of fees and that should they not be paid in time they could paralyze the school’s operations.
“It is very hard for us because we allowed the students to been in school without paying,” the principal said.
“The students were allowed to sit for their K.C.S.E examination without any interference and now we want them to clear the fee arrears first so that we can cover what we have used. Some of us are working on debts,” added the Principal.
In a meeting with the Secondary school Principals at a hotel, Kilifi North MP Owen Baya urged the government waive the school fees arrears first then enforce the directive.
“The schools want to get their money back because they incurred huge debts while the children were studying,” Baya said.
“If the National Government can be able to waive billions of debts from coffee farmers, and sugarcane farmers what makes it difficult to clear the school fees arrears,” he Baya.
Kilifi South MP Ken Chonga said he would pick up the matter with other leaders to ensure those students who performed well are allowed to join various institutions to further their studies.
“It is very unfortunate that bright children who are supposed to have finished their Universities and Colleges are back at home because they do not have their certificate,” Chonga said in Mtwapa.
“We must sit down as leaders to find a solution on how we will save these students,” added Chonga.
