Last reviewed: 25 October 2026
Ask almost any private school owner in Kenya what keeps them awake and fee arrears will be near the top. Unpaid balances squeeze salaries, delay supplier payments and make it hard to plan. The good news is that most arrears come from a few fixable problems: unclear fee policies, inconvenient payment methods, poor records and late follow-up.
On this page
- 1. Publish a clear, written fee policy
- 2. Offer realistic instalment plans
- 3. Make paying easy and traceable
- 4. Reconcile payments every week
- 5. Send statements and polite reminders
- 6. Talk early to families who are struggling
- 7. Handle sending learners home with great care
- 8. Track arrears by class and by age
- A fee arrears checklist
1. Publish a clear, written fee policy
Parents pay more reliably when they know exactly what is owed and when. Your fee structure should list tuition, meals, transport, boarding and any optional items separately, with due dates for each term. State whether instalments are allowed and what happens if a balance is not cleared. Give every family the policy at admission and ask them to sign it. Our guide on how parents read a fee structure shows what parents look for.
2. Offer realistic instalment plans
Many Kenyan families are paid monthly, so asking for a full term’s fees on the first day sets some of them up to fail. A plan of, for example, 50% at the start of term and the balance in agreed monthly parts is easier to keep. Put each plan in writing with dates, and follow it up on those dates.
3. Make paying easy and traceable
Use a dedicated M-Pesa paybill or bank collection account and ask parents to use the learner’s admission number as the account reference. This one step removes most of the confusion about who has paid. Discourage cash payments to individual staff. Our parent guide on paying school fees safely explains why receipts matter to families too, and the school fee collection with M-Pesa guide covers the setup.
4. Reconcile payments every week
Arrears grow when the school does not know who owes what. Match every paybill and bank payment against learner accounts at least once a week. Many schools still do this in a notebook or a spreadsheet, which works for a small school but becomes error-prone above a few hundred learners. A fee system that matches M-Pesa payments automatically, such as Anademy Fees, saves the bursar hours and reduces disputes.
5. Send statements and polite reminders
Send each family a simple statement showing charges, payments and the balance. Follow it with reminders a week before a due date, on the date and a week after. Keep the tone respectful; most parents in arrears are struggling, not refusing. A friendly SMS that states the exact balance and paybill number gets far better results than a vague “please clear fees”.
6. Talk early to families who are struggling
When a balance is overdue, invite the parent for a private conversation. Agree a new plan, and point them to support where it exists, such as bursaries and scholarships. Our list of bursaries and scholarships can help some families. Early conversations recover more money than letters sent at the end of term.
7. Handle sending learners home with great care
Sending children home over fees harms their learning and your reputation. The Ministry of Education has repeatedly warned public schools against it. For private schools, agree a firm but humane process in your policy, apply it consistently and keep the child’s dignity in mind. Never discuss a family’s arrears in front of the learner or other parents.
8. Track arrears by class and by age
A simple monthly report showing total arrears, how many families owe and how long the balances have been outstanding tells you whether things are improving. Balances older than one term need a direct call from the head or owner.
A fee arrears checklist
- Signed fee policy for every family
- Written instalment plans with dates
- One paybill, admission number as reference
- Weekly reconciliation
- Statements every month
- Reminders before and after due dates
- Private, early conversations with struggling parents
- Monthly arrears report
For budgeting the money you do collect, download ideas from our school budget template, and browse more guides in the school owners hub.