The National Assembly Departmental Committee on Education will on Friday conclude the first phase of public participation on six education reform Bills with a hearing in Nairobi.
The sitting will be held at Parliament Buildings from 10am to 5.30pm, bringing to an end the committee’s initial round of public engagements in 31 counties.
The committee has invited Nairobi residents and education stakeholders to attend the forum and submit their views, concerns and recommendations on the proposed reforms.
The six Bills are the Tertiary Education, Placement and Funding Bill, 2026; Basic Education Bill, 2026; Kenya National Educational Assessments Council Bill; Pre-Service Education and In-Service Training Bill; Kenya National Qualifications Framework (Amendment) Bill; and Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (Amendment) Bill.
The committee collected views from residents and education stakeholders in Laikipia, Nyeri, Isiolo and Nyandarua on Thursday, marking the penultimate round of hearings before the Nairobi session.
The Nairobi forum will, however, not mark the end of the public participation exercise.
The committee has extended the hearings by five days to October 2 to cover 16 counties that were left out of the initial programme.
The additional phase will run from Monday, September 28 to Friday, October 2.
The extension followed concerns from stakeholders, including the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet), which had called for the initial exercise to be suspended, arguing that the two-week period was too short to allow meaningful public engagement on the proposed laws.
Kuppet also raised concerns over the accessibility of some hearing venues, particularly for stakeholders in rural and marginalised areas, and called for greater public sensitisation on the content and implications of the Bills.
The six proposed laws cover major areas of the education system, including tertiary financing, basic education management, national assessments, teacher training, qualifications and curriculum development.
The Tertiary Education, Placement and Funding Bill proposes a new framework for tertiary education placement and financing and provides for the establishment of the Tertiary Education Funding Authority (TEFA) through the merger of the Higher Education Loans Board, the Universities Fund and the TVET Funding Board.
The Basic Education Bill seeks to provide a comprehensive legal framework for basic education, including the management of Early Childhood Development, primary and Junior schools.
The Kenya National Educational Assessments Council Bill provides the legal framework for the country’s national education assessment body, while the Pre-Service Education and In-Service Training Bill seeks to establish a framework for training before entry into the education profession and continuing professional development.
The Kenya National Qualifications Framework (Amendment) Bill proposes changes to the framework governing national qualifications and their recognition, while the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (Amendment) Bill seeks to amend the legal framework governing the institute and its curriculum development functions.
The Bills have attracted debate among education stakeholders, particularly over tertiary financing and the proposed management structure for Junior schools.
Kuppet has sought clarity on how the proposed tertiary financing model will be funded and implemented, while differences have emerged between Kuppet and the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) over whether Junior schools should have autonomous management or remain part of the comprehensive school model.
After the Nairobi hearing, the committee will move to the 16 counties added to the programme.
On Monday, September 28, hearings will be held in West Pokot, Marsabit, Mandera and Nandi.
The West Pokot forum will be at Kenya Medical Training College, Kapenguria Campus, from 9am to 12.30pm; Marsabit at Kenya Medical Training College, Marsabit Campus, from 9am to 11.30am; Mandera at Mandera Technical Training Institute from 2.45pm to 5.15pm; and Nandi at Ol’lessos Technical Training Institute from 3.30pm to 6pm.
The following day, the committee will hold hearings in Bungoma, Garissa, Busia and Lamu.
Bungoma’s forum will be at Kibabii University from 9am to 12.30pm, Garissa at Garissa University from 10am to 12.30pm, Busia at Alupe University from 3pm to 6pm and Lamu at Fort Hall from 3.30pm to 5.30pm.
On Wednesday, September 30, hearings will be held in Vihiga, Kitui and Siaya, followed by Migori, Tharaka-Nithi and Nyamira on Thursday, October 1.
The final hearings will be held in Bomet and Samburu on Friday, October 2.
The deadline for written memoranda has also been extended to October 2 at 5pm, giving stakeholders in the additional counties an opportunity to submit their views before the committee concludes the expanded exercise.
