In a significant ruling on Tuesday, the High Court declared the government’s directive mandating parents to pay school fees via the e-Citizen platform unconstitutional.
Judge Chacha Mwita issued the judgment in favor of Nakuru-based activist Magare Gikenyi and the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), who had contested the directive, arguing that it lacked proper public consultation and stakeholder involvement.
This ruling follows a previous decision on February 7 last year, when the court had temporarily suspended the directive pending the resolution of the petition.
“High Court has declared the Ministry of Education’s directive on payment of school fees via the e-Citizen platform irrational, capricious, unconstitutional, null and void. I was representing LSK in this matter,” stated lawyer Omochokoro O’mong’oni, who was representing LSK.
In February 2024, President William Ruto declared that the move to pay school fees and other government charges through the e-Citizen platform was irreversible, promising to confront any opposition from corrupt cartels.
During a meeting with Kenyans in the diaspora, Ruto emphasized the importance of the directive, highlighting that consolidating over 3,000 government paybill numbers into a single platform had significantly improved revenue tracking and helped curb corruption.
Additionally, he maintained that the government was committed to ensuring the transition to a digital payment system was complete to stop misuse and pilferage of government resources.
