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The National Parents Association Chairperson Silas David Obuhatsa has called for the arrest of parents who still have their children at home, yet others reported to the school.
Obuhatsa said the Association in great shock and surprise has learnt that there are still hundreds of students who have not gone to school either to join form one or Junior secondary since opening dates.
Obuhatsa urgently called on Interior CS Kindiki Kithure to instruct all Chiefs, Assistant Chiefs and Nyumba Kumi to take stern action against any parents whose children are still at home.
“The provincial administration to arrest parents whose children are at home and have them get fined for breaking the law by keeping learners at home,” he said.
He gave a reminder that Education CS Ezekiel Machogu and his PS Belio Kipsang had given instructions to all public high school managers to allow all learners in schools with or without fees.
He said the ministry had allowed learners to join JSS with or without the special uniform as they could be bought at a later date.
He added that the ministry had also paid for all public JSS school learners Sh15,000 each as fees and availed textbooks in all subjects.
Despite this, “we are seeing the Ministry of Education being blamed for children being at home due to lack of fees”.
He claimed some parents are keeping learners so that they may use the school fees excuse to raise funds for other businesses from well-wishers who are not fully informed of their backgrounds.
The Association chair said he has been receiving calls from students all over the country asking for financial support from the organisation.
He said even school heads have pinned parents down to explain why they haven’t taken their children to school.
“We are fully convinced that no public school managers issending children home as it’s alleged through the media,” he said.