President William Ruto has warned school administrators who continue to reject the government’s directive requiring school fees to be paid through the eCitizen platform, saying they will be pursued for undermining efforts to promote accountability and transparency in public institutions.

Speaking during the Third National Executive Retreat on Thursday, Ruto accused some school heads of resisting the move because they have something to hide.

“There are some institutions that still don’t want to pay on eCitizen because they have things to hide, and some of them have taken us to court. We will be engaging with our primary and secondary school heads who have refused to pay school fees on eCitizen,” Ruto said.

The president took issue with schools blocking parents from using the digital system and instead demanding handwritten receipts.

“They have refused parents to pay via Citizen, and they want to continue writing those receipt books on exercise books. We are telling them the era of transparency is here,” he said.

Ruto praised schools that have embraced the platform and urged parents to demand digital payment options.

“Parents should insist on paying on eCitizen… and I want to thank schools that have agreed because they believe in transparency, to get parents to pay on a digital platform,” he said.

He made it clear that institutions defying the directive would not be spared.

“Many other institutions that are still out there, we will go after all of them. That is our exercise for the future,” he said.

Ruto’s remarks come two months after the High Court ruled that the directive was unconstitutional, citing lack of legal backing and failure to involve the public.

“The directive lacks a legal foundation and was issued without public participation. School fees are not government revenue to be collected through a national platform,” Justice Chacha Mwita ruled on April 1.

The court also questioned the Sh50 transaction fee charged on every eCitizen payment, calling it unlawful and unjustified.

“It does not make sense for the government to compel citizens to use a platform and then force them to pay to sustain it,” Justice Mwita said.

The system’s transparency was also challenged, with the court noting it remained unclear who collects the money and where it is deposited.

The case had been filed by Nakuru-based doctor Magare Gikenyi, who argued that the digital payment system lacked a legal framework and exposed parents, especially in rural areas, to hardships by barring in-kind payments like maize or beans.

Despite the ruling, the government has maintained that the platform is legal and necessary for promoting openness in school operations.