Last reviewed: 25 October 2026
Most Kenyan schools no longer want cash at the bursar’s window. Fees now move through M-Pesa, bank paybills, mobile banking apps and bank agents, and every school publishes its own instructions on the fee structure. Get one digit of the account reference wrong and a payment can sit unallocated for weeks. This guide covers the main ways to pay school fees in Kenya, what each one needs from you, and the habits that keep your child’s fees statement accurate.
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Start with the school’s fee structure, not a paybill list
Before you open M-Pesa, find the payment section of your school’s fee structure or term circular. It will name the bank, the account or paybill number, and the format for the account reference, which is usually the admission number, sometimes with the learner’s name or a school code in front of it. Many paybill numbers circulating on WhatsApp are general bank numbers that only work when combined with the right school account, so the school’s own document is the only safe starting point. If anything is unclear, call the bursar before you pay. Our guide to reading a school fee structure explains the vote heads and payment deadlines you will see on that document.
Option 1: M-Pesa straight to the school’s paybill (Lipa Karo)
Safaricom’s school-fees service is called Lipa Karo. According to Safaricom’s Lipa Karo FAQ, a school that signs up is given its own business number, and parents pay through Lipa na M-Pesa, Pay Bill, entering that business number and the account number the school specifies. Safaricom notes that some schools collect through paybills run by partners such as KCB, Co-operative Bank and Pesapal rather than a standalone number. You receive the usual M-Pesa confirmation SMS, and the school gets a real-time notification.
Some schools also bill parents through M-Pesa Bill Manager. Safaricom’s Bill Manager page says schools can send fee invoices and reminders by SMS, and parents can view and pay those bills from their phones. If your school uses it, the invoice SMS will come from MPESABills.
Option 2: M-Pesa to a bank paybill
Where a school banks with a commercial bank, you often pay through that bank’s paybill and put the school’s account details in the account field.
- KCB: KCB’s school payment page lists Lipa na KCB paybill 522533 and Lipa Karo paybill 522123. For 522533, KCB’s own walkthrough uses the school’s Lipa na KCB till number, a hash sign and the student details as the account number, for example 12345#John24810.
- Equity Bank: parents at Equity schools usually pay to paybill 247247 with the school’s collection account and the learner’s reference as the account, or to a dedicated paybill if the school has one. Check which format your school uses.
- Other banks: Co-operative Bank, NCBA, Family Bank and others run similar setups. Always use the exact format printed on your fee structure.
Bank paybills sometimes charge a different M-Pesa tariff from a school’s own paybill. Check the charge on the confirmation screen before entering your PIN.
Option 3: Mobile banking, internet banking and cards
If you bank with the same bank as the school, paying from the bank’s app is often the cleanest route because the school can appear as a named biller. KCB says parents can choose Lipa Karo in the KCB app, search for the school and follow the prompts, or transfer from internet banking straight to the school account. Equity says its Equity Mobile App handles school-fee bill payments and lets you download a transaction receipt to share with the school as proof. Some schools also accept card payments at the bursar’s office or online.
Option 4: Branches and bank agents
Cash still works through banks. KCB says its agents take a cash deposit against the school account number, student name and admission number and print a POS receipt. Equity also accepts school-fee payments through its agents where the school has an Equity collection account. Agents suit parents without a smartphone or with very large one-off payments.
Habits that protect your payment
- Keep every confirmation SMS and receipt until the term’s fee statement matches what you paid.
- Pay a small test amount the first time you use a new paybill or reference format.
- Never pay fees to a personal phone number, even if a message claims to be from the school.
- Pay a few days before the deadline. Bank-side allocation can lag at the start of term.
For receipts, instalment plans and spotting fee scams, see our guide to paying school fees safely. To keep track of what you have paid across terms, try the free school fees tracker.