The National Assembly Departmental Committee on Education will hold public participation forums on six proposed education reform bills in Kiambu, Nakuru, Murang'a, and Baringo counties. The forums aim to gather views from residents and education stakeholders on the bills, which seek to overhaul various aspects of the education sector. The bills include the Tertiary Education, Placement and Funding Bill, the Basic Education Bill 2026, and the Kenya National Educational Assessments Council Bill.
The public participation forums will be held at various locations in each county. In Kiambu, the forum will be held at Kenyatta University in Kahawa from 9am to 12:30pm. In Nakuru, the hearing will take place at the Kenya Red Cross Hall in Nakuru town from 9:30am to 12:30pm. Residents of Murang'a will submit their views at Murang'a University of Technology from 3:30pm to 6pm, while the forum in Baringo will be held at the Kenya School of Government in Kabarnet town from 3pm to 6pm.
The proposed education reform bills seek to address various issues in the education sector. The Tertiary Education, Placement and Funding Bill proposes to re-establish the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service and create the Tertiary Education Funding Authority to administer loans. The Basic Education Bill 2026 seeks to replace the Basic Education Act and provide a framework for free and compulsory basic education.
The Kenya National Educational Assessments Council Bill seeks to replace the Kenya National Examinations Council with a new assessment body responsible for awarding certificates and diplomas and verifying their authenticity. The Pre-Service Education and In-Service Training Bill proposes a framework for teacher preparation and professional development, including the establishment of the Kenya Teachers Training College for pre-service education and the Kenya School of Education for in-service training.
The National Assembly Departmental Committee on Education, chaired by Tinderet MP Julius Melly, extended the deadline for submission of views to October 2, 2026, after expanding the exercise to cover 16 additional counties. The initial exercise covered 31 counties and was scheduled to end on September 25. Hearings in 16 additional counties will be held from September 28 to October 2.
National Assembly Clerk Samuel Njoroge said written memoranda may be addressed to the Clerk of the National Assembly, hand-delivered to the Office of the Clerk at Parliament Buildings in Nairobi, or sent by email. The period for submission of written memoranda on the Bills is extended to Friday, October 2, 2026, at 5pm.
The public participation forums are part of a larger effort to gather input from stakeholders on the proposed education reform bills. The committees' efforts aim to ensure that the bills are comprehensive and address the needs of all stakeholders in the education sector.
Key points
- The National Assembly Departmental Committee on Education holds public participation forums in four counties to gather views on proposed education reform bills.
- The proposed education reform bills seek to address various issues in the education sector, including student placement and funding, basic education, and teacher training.
- The deadline for submission of views on the bills has been extended to October 2, 2026.
