Garbatula High School: Full details, location, CBE Subjects Offered, UIC, Knec Code
Garbatula High School is a public national boys’ secondary school located in Garbatura, Isiolo County, Kenya. Once an academic giant with national school status, it has since faced significant challenges with performance and infrastructure, though current efforts are underway to revive its former glory.
| Detail | Information |
| Location | Garbatura, Isiolo County, Kenya |
| Postal Address | P.O. Box 4, Garbatura 60301 |
| Telephone Number | 06420713 |
| Category | Public Boys Secondary School |
| Directions | The school is in Garbatura Town. Accessibility has improved with a tarmac road leading from Maua (Meru County) to the school. |
Garbatula High School was established in July 1974, opened by then-Minister of Finance and Planning Mwai Kibaki. It was a partnership between the government, residents, the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK), and the Protestant Agency for Development Aid.
Glory Days: For sometime (through the 1980s and 1990s), it was considered a national school and an academic powerhouse, often compared to elite institutions like Alliance, Starehe, and Mang’u High Schools.
Decline: Its performance and enrollment began to decline in the late 1990s, mainly due to a spate of insecurity in the region, which caused parents to withdraw their children.
Closure and Reopening: The school was shut down in 2000 for nearly two years. It reopened in 2002 with the diminished status of a Sub County school.
Status: It is currently categorized as a C1 school under the new Competency-Based Education (CBE) curriculum.
Alumni: The school has produced several prominent individuals, including former Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yattani.
Revival Efforts: The alumni association and government stakeholders are actively involved in efforts to renovate the infrastructure, improve facilities, and restore the school’s lost prestige.
In its prime, Garbatula High School boasted some of the best facilities in the country, but many structures are now in a state of disrepair.
Former Facilities: The school once featured 25 classrooms, 16 dormitories, science laboratories, a photography darkroom, a dispensary, and open-air basketball and gymnasium courts.
Current State: Recent reports indicate that buildings have leaking roofs, caved-in ceilings, and a dysfunctional sewerage system. Many computers in the lab are reportedly damaged by rain.
Current Capacity: The school has a capacity for over 1,000 students but has struggled with low enrolment, recently hosting only a small fraction of that number.
Revival Progress: Alumni have successfully contributed to acquiring a school bus and a van, and they are undertaking projects to renovate dormitories and upgrade classrooms.
Garbatula High School offers the Competency-Based Education (CBE) curriculum and has structured its academic program into learning pathways and tracks:
1. STEM Pathway:
Pure Sciences Track
Applied Sciences Track
Technical Studies Track
2. Social Sciences Pathway:
Languages & Literature Track
Humanities & Business Studies Track
3. Arts & Sports Science Pathway:
Arts Track
Sports Track
The school aims to become a center of scientific study as part of its revival plan.
The Ministry of Education in Kenya has introduced new, standardized fee guidelines for public senior secondary schools, effective from January 2026, which marks the transition of the first cohort of Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) learners (Grade 9) to Senior School (Grade 10).
Here are the key details of the approved annual fees and the structure:
The new guidelines scrap the previous classification of schools (National, Extra-County, County, Sub-County) and introduce a uniform fee structure.
| School Type | Annual Fee Payable by Parent | Government Capitation (Subsidy) | Total Annual Cost |
| Public Boarding School | Ksh 53,554 | Ksh 12,870 | Ksh 66,424 |
| Public Day School | Ksh 9,374 | Ksh 12,870 | Ksh 22,244 |
| Special Needs Boarding School | Ksh 37,210 | Ksh 57,974 | Ksh 95,184 |
Note: The annual fee of Ksh 53,554 for boarding schools is based on the rates established in a 2015 Gazette Notice and is meant to cover boarding equipment, stores, and other administrative costs. The Government Capitation is the subsidy provided by the government to support the Free Day Secondary Education (FDSE) programme.
Uniform School Fees: All public boarding schools are now expected to charge the same annual fee, standardizing costs across the country.
Capitation: The government will continue to provide capitation (subsidy) for all learners in senior schools. The new capitation amount for regular schools is to be Ksh 12,870 per learner per year.
No Additional Levies: Schools are required to adhere strictly to the approved annual fee guidelines. Any request for additional levies must receive written approval from the Cabinet Secretary for Education through the County Education Board (CEB).
School Fees Payment: Fee structures must be provided to parents at the start of the academic year, specifying vote heads (tuition, boarding, meals, activity fees), and payment should be done through designated official channels.
Pro Tip: The final fee structures for individual public schools are expected to be strictly controlled by these Ministry of Education guidelines to ensure affordability and equity in access to Senior School education under the CBC system. It is important to note that schools may charge other levies after agreeing with parents and getting consent from the Ministry of Education.
| REGION | EASTERN |
| COUNTY | ISIOLO |
| SUB COUNTY | GARBATULLA |
| UIC | ZXZL |
| KNEC | 17300015 |
| SCHOOL NAME | GARBATULA HIGH SCHOOL |
| CLUSTER | C1 |
| TYPE | PUBLIC |
| (Regular/ SNE/ | REGULAR |
| DISABILITY TYPE | NONE |
| ACCOMODATION TYPE | BOARDING |
| GENDER | BOYS |
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