Six Education Bills Enter Crucial Stage After Public Hearings End Across Kenya

Kenya’s proposed education reforms have entered a new phase after Parliament completed public hearings on six Bills across all 47 counties.

The nationwide exercise ended on October 2, 2026, with the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Education now expected to study the views presented before preparing its report.

The hearings began on September 14 and were later extended to cover the remaining 16 counties after concerns were raised about the time available for meaningful public participation.

Teachers, parents, learners, school managers, unions, education officials, private school operators, religious organisations and other stakeholders were given an opportunity to make oral and written submissions.

The six Bills are the Tertiary Education, Placement and Funding Bill, 2026; Basic Education Bill, 2026; Kenya National Educational Assessments Council Bill, 2026; Pre-Service Education and In-Service Training Bill, 2026; Kenya National Qualifications Framework (Amendment) Bill, 2026; and Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (Amendment) Bill, 2026.

Parliament Now Has to Study the Views

The end of the hearings does not mean the proposed changes have become law.

The Education Committee must first consider the submissions collected from across the country before deciding whether particular sections of the Bills should be retained, changed or removed.

The committee is expected to retreat and analyse the views before preparing a report containing its findings and recommendations.

That report will then guide the next stages of consideration by Parliament, where the proposed laws will be debated and subjected to voting.

The final wording could therefore be different from what is currently contained in the Bills.

Junior School Becomes a Major Issue

One of the strongest debates during the hearings centred on how Junior School should be managed.

The proposed comprehensive-school model would place Early Childhood Development, primary and Junior School under one management structure.

However, some stakeholders have called for Junior School to have greater administrative independence, including separate leadership and resources.

The Kenya National Union of Teachers has supported the comprehensive-school approach, while the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers has pushed for greater autonomy for Junior School.

The issue is particularly important because the proposed structure would affect school leadership, staffing, resources and the implementation of the Competency-Based Education system.

Changes Proposed for School Governance

The Basic Education Bill contains several proposals that would change how schools and education institutions are managed.

County Education Boards would be retained, while the proposed framework would place the County Commissioner as chairperson and the County Director of Education as secretary.

That proposal has already attracted opposition from some stakeholders who argue that education boards should be led by people with professional education experience.

The composition and responsibilities of Boards of Management would also be affected under the proposed changes.

Among the issues attracting attention is the proposed removal of teacher and student representatives from Boards of Management.

Board members would also be required to declare conflicts of interest when dealing with matters before them, with the aim of improving accountability in school administration.

Cabinet Secretary Could Get More Powers

Another important proposal concerns the powers of the Cabinet Secretary responsible for Education.

The proposed framework would give the Cabinet Secretary wider authority in the management and coordination of basic education.

Supporters could view the change as a way of improving national coordination, while critics could question whether it gives too much authority to the national government.

The issue is therefore expected to receive further attention when the committee reviews the submissions made during the hearings.

Access to Education Would Be Strengthened

The proposed reforms also contain measures dealing directly with access to education.

Basic education would remain compulsory, with parents carrying a legal responsibility to ensure that children attend school.

The proposals would also prohibit discrimination against learners and prevent public schools from using admission tests as a condition for accepting pupils.

The intention is to make access to public education less dependent on a child's ability to pass an entrance examination.

Learners Would Get Additional Protection

Several provisions focus on the welfare and rights of learners.

Children who leave school because of pregnancy or difficult economic circumstances would be entitled to return to education rather than permanently losing their opportunity to study.

The proposed framework also gives greater recognition to learners with special needs and disabilities.

Corporal punishment would remain prohibited, while schools would be required to handle discipline within a framework that protects learners' rights.

School heads would also have greater responsibility for following up on absenteeism in an effort to identify and reduce cases of school dropout.

New Approach to Quality Assurance

The proposed changes would also affect how schools are inspected and monitored.

A Director of the school inspectorate would be introduced, with quality-assurance structures extending down to the zonal level.

The Bills also place greater emphasis on education data through the Kenya Education Management Information System.

Better education data could help the government plan for teachers, classrooms, learning materials and other resources more effectively.

Private Schools and Illegal Fees

Private schools would face tighter regulation under the proposed reforms.

The legislation would provide stronger rules for the registration and management of private institutions.

Illegal collection of school fees would also attract criminal liability, targeting unauthorised charges that continue to concern parents.

The proposed provision could make individuals responsible where unlawful fees are collected instead of leaving the responsibility entirely on institutions.

The Other Five Bills

The Basic Education Bill is only one part of the wider reform package.

The Tertiary Education, Placement and Funding Bill seeks to create a new framework for placing and financing students in tertiary institutions.

It proposes the establishment of a Tertiary Education Funding Authority by bringing together functions currently handled by the Higher Education Loans Board, Universities Fund and TVET Funding Board.

The Kenya National Educational Assessments Council Bill would establish the legal framework governing national educational assessment.

The Pre-Service Education and In-Service Training Bill would regulate teacher preparation before entry into the profession and continuing professional development after deployment.

The Kenya National Qualifications Framework (Amendment) Bill would introduce changes to the system used to structure and recognise qualifications across education and training.

The KICD Amendment Bill would make changes to the mandate and functions of the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development.

Together, the six Bills cover major parts of Kenya's education system, from early schooling and curriculum development to teacher training, assessment, qualifications and university financing.

What Happens Next?

The most immediate task for the Education Committee is to examine what Kenyans told it during the nationwide hearings.

Thousands of submissions may contain different and sometimes conflicting positions, meaning lawmakers will have to decide which recommendations can be accommodated in the proposed laws.

Where the committee finds that a provision should be changed, amendments can be prepared before the Bills proceed further.

The committee will then submit its report and recommendations to the National Assembly for consideration.

The Bills will still have to go through the remaining parliamentary stages, including debate and voting, before they can become law.

Why Teachers and Parents Should Keep Watching

The completion of public participation therefore marks the beginning of another important stage rather than the end of the education reforms.

Teachers and their unions will be watching issues such as Junior School management, school governance, teacher training and institutional responsibilities.

Parents are likely to pay close attention to school fees, admission requirements, compulsory education and the protection of learners.

Students and school leaders will also be affected by decisions on governance, discipline, assessment and the organisation of basic education.

The committee's final report will provide a clearer picture of which concerns raised across the 47 counties were accepted and which proposals could be changed.

For now, none of the proposed reforms should be treated as final law.

The next major test will be whether the views collected from teachers, parents, learners and other Kenyans are reflected in the Bills that eventually reach the final voting stage.