Kenya’s education bills review has moved from public county forums to institutional hearings. After public participation in all 47 counties, the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Education is now hearing from government agencies, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and umbrella bodies to refine seven linked education bills that will affect learners, teachers and school governance.
Key Takeaways
- Phase One of stakeholder engagement gathers technical input from the TSC, Ministry of Education and umbrella bodies after county public forums.
- Seven interlinked bills cover basic and tertiary education, curriculum, assessment, qualifications and teacher management.
- The Basic Education (Amendment) Bill, 2026 is a major focus — proposals include compulsory basic education, re-entry guarantees and tighter private school regulation.
- Institutional hearings will test public wishes against implementation capacity, cost and legal coherence.
- Stakeholders should monitor the committee report, proposed amendments and parliamentary debate to influence final outcomes.
Phase One: Institutional Hearings
The committee’s next step is to hear institutions that can explain how proposed changes would work in practice. Where county forums captured lived experience — from parents, teachers and learners — institutional hearings will focus on feasibility, costs, staffing and legal implications. This phase is essential to balance community needs with the system’s capacity to deliver reforms.
Education bills review: What the committee is handling
The committee is reviewing seven bills that together span a learner’s full journey and a teacher’s career. These bills include:
- Tertiary Education, Placement and Funding Bill
- Pre-Service and In-Service Training Bill, 2026
- Basic Education (Amendment) Bill, 2026
- Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (Amendment) Bill, 2026
- Kenya National Educational Assessments Council Bill, 2026
- Kenya National Qualifications Framework (Amendment) Bill, 2026
- Teachers Service Commission (Amendment) Bill — National Assembly Bill No. 64 of 2026
Because the bills are linked, a change in one area (for example, qualifications or assessment) may require changes in others (teacher training or placement). This interconnectedness is why the committee is bringing in stakeholders who see the whole system.
Spotlight: Basic Education (Amendment) Bill, 2026
The Basic Education Bill has stirred strong public interest because it touches daily school life. Key proposals include:
- Classification of institutions as public or private and a move toward comprehensive schools combining primary and junior secondary levels.
- Retention of County Education Boards chaired by the County Commissioner, with the County Director of Education as secretary.
- Changes to Boards of Management (BoMs), including the removal of teacher and student representatives and mandatory conflict-of-interest declarations for members.
- Expanded powers for the Cabinet Secretary for Education alongside strengthened measures for compulsory basic education and banned admission tests in public schools.
- Guaranteed re-entry for learners after pregnancy or economic hardship, formal recognition for learners with disabilities, a ban on corporal punishment, and stronger absenteeism follow-up to reduce dropouts.
- Tighter regulation of private schools and criminalisation of illegal fee collection.
Some of these measures — like guaranteed re-entry and the ban on corporal punishment — address long-standing public concerns. Others will likely draw intense debate about oversight, fairness and resource needs.
What institutions will likely raise
During the hearings the TSC, Ministry of Education, county officials and NGOs will comment on issues such as:
- Governance: whether teacher and student input should remain on BoMs and the balance between national and county powers.
- Costs and implementation: funding needs for expanded inspection, KEMIS expansion, and dropout-tracking systems.
- Teacher impacts: how changes to the TSC mandate and the Pre-Service/In-Service training bill affect recruitment, deployment and professional development.
- Inclusion and protection: feasibility of the proposed safeguards for learners with special needs and pregnant learners.
The committee will assess these technical inputs against what citizens told them during the county visits.
Next steps in the process
The review process follows these stages:
- Stakeholder engagement (current phase)
- Committee retreat to collate and analyse submissions
- Review and drafting of proposed amendments
- Preparation of a committee report with recommendations
- Parliamentary debate and voting — only then can any bill become law
None of the bills is law yet; stakeholder input shapes whether provisions are amended, retained or dropped.
How teachers, parents and learners can stay engaged
Stakeholders should follow the committee report, attend or watch parliamentary proceedings when available, and continue to press elected representatives and umbrella bodies for positions that reflect classroom realities. Unions, parents’ associations and school leaders remain important channels for sustained input.
Quick resources
For curriculum and exam resources referenced during reforms, see the following materials to support classroom planning and student preparation:
- CBC curriculum designs — useful for understanding proposed structural changes and school-level curriculum alignment.
- Free KCPE exams — practice materials that can help teachers prepare learners amid systemic changes.
- Free Grade 10 exams — resources for junior secondary assessment preparation under the comprehensive school model.
The current phase of the education bills review is a decisive moment: it brings technical expertise into conversations started by communities across Kenya. The final shape of the laws will depend on how well the committee reconciles public expectations with practical realities of implementation, cost and governance.
