President William Ruto, during the launch of the Affordable Housing Programme Internship Programme at State House on January 23, 2026/PCS 

President William Ruto has ordered an urgent review of school uniform costs after expressing concern that some institutions are charging parents up to Sh38,000.

Ruto warned that no child should be denied access to education because of uniform requirements.

Speaking Friday at State House during the launch of the Affordable Housing Programme Internship Programme, the President said that uniforms had become a potential source of corruption.

“We are going to look into this uniform issue because uniforms are another source of corruption,” Ruto said.

“There is no child who will be kept out of class because of uniform. Even if they have the uniform for junior school, they can transition to secondary school without uniform as they wait for parents to organise themselves.”

The President said rigid uniform requirements had become an unnecessary barrier to education, particularly for families struggling with the rising cost of living.

He noted that the government would work with parents, school administrations, manufacturers, and other stakeholders to implement reforms that lower costs and eliminate practices that exploit parents.

“We must not erect additional impediments to access to education,” he said, stressing that schooling should focus on learning outcomes rather than appearance.

The Affordable Housing Programme Internship Programme is an initiative aimed at opening career pathways for 5,500 young Kenyans in the building and construction sector.

The programme targets graduates across more than 40 professional fields, including engineering, architecture, urban planning, ICT, finance, environmental studies, surveying, and construction management.

Under the programme, the government is currently engaging 5,500 graduate interns, including architects, civil, mechanical, and electrical engineers, and quantity surveyors.

The broader housing initiative, the President said, is already employing more than 500,000 Kenyans, with over 240,000 housing units under construction nationwide.

Ruto said the housing drive is part of a deliberate strategy to use large-scale public infrastructure projects to stimulate economic growth and tackle youth unemployment.

“We are aggressively investing in public infrastructure to create jobs and unlock opportunities for our young citizens,” he said.

Describing the approach as globally proven, the President cited countries such as the United States, Germany, and the Philippines, where infrastructure-led investment has been used to jump-start economies and generate mass employment.

Beyond housing, Ruto said the government is scaling up investments in roads, railways, airports, seaports, energy, and water storage.

He added that these projects are intended not only to transform Kenya’s economic landscape but also to absorb the millions of young people graduating from the education system every year.

Taken together, the President said, reforms in education access and sustained investment in infrastructure would ensure that opportunity is not limited by poverty but expanded through deliberate public policy.