The government will keep paying for national exam fees, according to Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi. He reassured the public that the government will cover the costs of the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams this year, despite earlier plans to end the fee waiver that has been in place for ten years.
At a town hall meeting on June 9, 2025, Mbadi addressed concerns after the government suggested removing the exam fee waiver. He said that although the initial budget didn’t include money for exams, they have now found the funds needed.
“At first, we didn’t budget for exam fees this year, but we have made the money available,” he stated. “I assure all Kenyan students that they will take their exams, and the government will pay for it. We are just changing how things are done.”
Mbadi had previously mentioned that the exam subsidy was not sustainable due to budget issues. The plan was to only allow students from low-income families to continue receiving fee waivers.
During the meeting, he also mentioned that the Cabinet was concerned about the high costs of running national exams, especially why exam materials were being printed in other countries instead of locally.
“We didn’t understand why so much money was being spent on exams when important documents like passports are printed here,” he said. He added that the Ministry of Education needs to create a more affordable way to manage and fund the exams.
The idea to remove the exam fee waiver caused a lot of public anger, as many feared it would make education less accessible for poorer families. The fee waiver was introduced in 2015 to support free and compulsory basic education.