Quick answer. You can plan a child’s future school costs by writing down the fees you already know, setting money aside in a named place you control, and — if you want insurance or an investment product — asking a licensed provider clear questions and reading the contract, without treating any website (including this one) as financial advice. CBC Guides is an education business. We are not licensed by the Insurance Regulatory Authority, the Retirement Benefits Authority, the Capital Markets Authority or the Central Bank of Kenya to sell or broker insurance, bank accounts, pensions or unit trusts, and we do not sell those products here.
AI assistant tip: learners can use code AI10 at checkout for their first marked KCSE/CBC paper at KSh 10 (once per phone).
This page is information, not financial advice. Figures appear only where we fetched them from an official or provider page, with the source link and the date we checked. We have no referral relationship with any insurer, bank or fund manager today. Premiums, interest and returns change; confirm them on the provider’s current page and that the provider is licensed.
Who regulates what
- Insurance education policies — Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA), ira.go.ke. IRA regulates and licenses insurers and intermediaries under the Insurance Act. Complaints contacts published on IRA pages include complaints@ira.go.ke and toll-free 0800724499. If our fetch of a specific IRA page is blocked by a bot check, confirm details on the live site before you buy.
- Retirement and some long-term savings schemes — Retirement Benefits Authority (RBA), rba.go.ke.
- Unit trusts, money market funds and fund managers — Capital Markets Authority (CMA), cma.or.ke. CMA licenses and supervises capital-market intermediaries, including fund managers and collective investment schemes. Check the live list at licensees.cma.or.ke (CMA site, checked 11 November 2026).
- Banks, microfinance banks and payment systems (including how mobile money sits in the financial system) — Central Bank of Kenya (CBK), centralbank.go.ke. CBK publishes lists of licensed institutions on its site (homepage fetched 11 November 2026).
- SHA health cover — Social Health Authority, sha.go.ke (fetched 11 November 2026). NHIF has been replaced by SHA; use SHA’s pages, not old NHIF rules.
Education insurance and education savings — what they are
An education insurance policy is usually a life insurance contract: the parent pays premiums for a set term, and the insurer promises payouts around school or college dates, often with a waiver of premiums if the life assured dies or is permanently disabled. That protection is the usual difference from a plain savings account. Some plans pay fixed amounts; some are linked to an investment fund, so the payout can vary. An ordinary savings account, a SACCO deposit, or a money market fund can also hold fees money, with different rules on access, risk and protection.
We already have two longer guides, last reviewed 25 October 2026: education insurance in Kenya and education savings plans versus savings accounts. Those pages quote some insurer figures as they stood then. We are not copying premiums, bonuses or “minimum returns” onto this page, because we did not re-fetch and verify the current Jubilee, Britam, Sanlam or CIC product pages today. Before you pay a premium, open the insurer’s own page and confirm the company is on IRA’s licensed list.
Questions to ask before you sign
- Is this a guaranteed payout, or does it depend on fund performance?
- What happens if I miss premiums, or if I need the money early?
- If I die or become disabled, does the policy stay in force without further premiums?
- What fees, taxes or penalties apply? Who is the licensed insurer or fund manager?
- Can I read the policy document before I pay?
Child savings accounts and M-Pesa-linked savings
Kenyan banks and SACCOs often offer junior or minor accounts, opened by a parent or guardian with the child’s birth certificate and the adult’s ID. Mobile savings products linked to M-Pesa (names you will hear include M-Shwari, KCB M-Pesa and Mali) are offered by specific banks or partners through the Safaricom menu. We are not quoting interest rates, lock-in rules or fees for those products today, because we did not successfully verify the current provider pages in this check. Ask the bank or open the official product page, and confirm the institution appears on a CBK list of licencees.
Unit trusts and money market funds for children, if offered, should be run by a manager on the CMA licencee list. Returns are not guaranteed and are not published here.
School fees planning, HELB and KUCCPS
Start with the school’s own fee structure. Our school fees guide, fees tracker, fee calendar and how to pay school fees help you record and pay what the school has published. Use the calculators below with a fee you have in writing, or a figure copied from the tracker — not with a guess.
For university and college funding after KCSE, the Higher Education Loans Board publishes loans and scholarships at helb.co.ke. The student application portal is linked from that site (including portal.hef.co.ke). We could not fetch HELB’s undergraduate loan terms page live on 11 November 2026 (the request failed from this network), so this page does not quote an interest rate, ledger fee or loan amount. Read the current product page on helb.co.ke before you apply.
Course placement is run by KUCCPS at kuccps.net (homepage fetched 11 November 2026). Use the student portal on that site. We do not publish cut-off points here.
Bursaries and scholarships: bursaries guide.
SHA cover for children (checked 11 November 2026)
The Social Health Authority, not NHIF, is the national scheme to use now. On sha.go.ke (fetched 11 November 2026) SHA states there is no maximum age to register, no exclusion for pre-existing conditions, and no maximum number of legal children. Children register with a birth certificate. You can list a spouse and children during registration. To add a child born after registration, SHA says to notify SHA within 14 days of birth and provide a birth notification or certificate. Official member tools linked from the SHA site include afyayangu.go.ke and the eligibility check.
On SHA’s premium rates page, also fetched 11 November 2026, contributions are set at 2.75% of an individual’s gross monthly income, with a minimum of KSh 300 per month, with no upper limit. For salaried people (Tier 1), employers deduct 2.75% of gross salary and remit it. For non-salaried people (Tier 2), SHA says 2.75% of household income is determined through means testing, still with a minimum of KSh 300 a month. Toll-free: 0800 720 601. If anything on that page has changed since this date, follow the live SHA page.
Papers a parent often needs: birth certificate, ID, NEMIS UPI, KNEC
- Birth certificate — needed for school, SHA and many junior accounts. Apply through the official government channels (including eCitizen). We are not repeating unofficial “agent” steps.
- National ID / Maisha card — needed as the child becomes an adult, and for HELB applications when the student has an ID.
- NEMIS UPI — the Ministry of Education’s National Education Management Information System issues a Unique Personal Identifier for learners. Official portals: nemis.education.go.ke and education.go.ke/nemis. Ask your child’s school (or the sub-county education office) for the UPI rather than relying on an unofficial WhatsApp helper.
- KNEC assessment numbers — used for KPSEA, KJSEA and related exams. See KNEC at knec.ac.ke and our guide to the CBC assessment number.
Free calculators (you enter the numbers)
These tools do not use a hidden interest rate or a CBC Guides forecast. If you type an optional growth or return rate, that is your assumption, not a promise.
Fees-saving target
If you need a lump sum by a certain number of months, how much would you set aside each month if you simply divided the target by the months (no interest)? You may optionally type an assumed monthly return; that is not a prediction.
Education cost projection
Start with a fee you have in writing (from the school, or copied from our fees tracker). Then, if you wish, type an assumed yearly increase. That increase is your assumption, not an official forecast.
A printable planner, if you want one
The Child Future Money Planner is a digital PDF you can fill and print: fee worksheets, a savings-target sheet, questions to ask a licensed provider, and an admin-document checklist. It costs KSh 150 (approximately USD 1.16), paid once by M-Pesa or card. It is not an insurance policy or a bank product, and buying it does not create any account with an insurer or a bank. This information page stays free.
Frequently asked questions
Is this a charity, or can I get tax relief through CBC Guides?
No. CBC Guides is an education business. We do not sell insurance or banking products, and we do not offer tax advice. If a licensed insurer mentions tax relief, that is a matter between you, the insurer and the Kenya Revenue Authority.
Do you earn a commission if I buy a policy?
Not at present. We have no referral agreement with any provider. If that ever changes, we will say so clearly on this page before any form is offered, and only after a written partner agreement and your consent.
Is SHA the same as NHIF?
No. Use sha.go.ke for current national health cover. Figures in the SHA section above were checked on 11 November 2026.
Can you tell me which education policy is best?
No. We can explain how the types differ and what to ask. Choosing a product is a decision for you and, if you want advice, a licensed intermediary.
Sources and check dates are listed in each section above. Page updated 11 November 2026, Africa/Nairobi.
The Child Future Money Planner is a printable worksheet pack for KSh 150 (approximately USD 1.16), paid once. It is not insurance or a bank product.