Leave uniforms to parents

The team formed by secondary school principals to regulate the pricing of uniforms responds to complaints by parents over exploitation in procurement. Though welcome, the move does not fully address the real issues raised by parents and government officials.

The complaints extend beyond pricing to unethical business practices and conflict of interest. The principals say they act in the parents’ interest; curiously, only a few companies and individuals dominate the multibillion-shilling industry.

Suspicions abound, especially when procurement of uniforms is done through the school administration and the money paid into the merchants’ accounts. The feeling among complainants is that the market is controlled and they are denied the freedom to buy from the cheapest vendors. There is evidence that the prices quoted by schools for uniforms is way above the prevailing market rates since the garments are made using fairly affordable fabrics and other materials.

The Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (Kessha) needs to do more than control prices. Procurement matters should be determined by market forces, thus freedom for parents to purchase the items from wherever they choose as long as they strictly adhere to the specifications set by the school.

Principals must extricate themselves from suspicions of collusion with traders to fleece parents. It does not make sense for a company in, say, Thika, to provide uniforms to schools in western Kenya yet there are many other manufacturers there.

The school administrators ought to stick to the core management functions of efficiently running schools and academic excellence. They already have too much on their hands and should leave procurement of items like uniforms to parents.

Opening up the market will create room for competition and decentralise provision of the materials across the country. It will boost local enterprise and give parents value for money.