Kenya’s education sector is on the brink of a major transformation. Seven proposed laws, alongside a new national education policy framework, promise to reshape how the country delivers education, develops skills and prepares its people for the future.

The journey began in September 2022, when the Government established the Presidential Working Party on Education Reform to address longstanding challenges in the sector. Its recommendations focused on improving access, quality, relevance, equity and inclusion across all levels of education, from pre-primary to university.

Since then, the Ministry of Education, through the Ministerial Education Reforms Implementation and Advisory Committee (MERIAC), has spearheaded the development of a Sessional Paper on Education and Training and seven Education Sector Bills. This work has been supported by the INSPIRED Consortium, led by EDT, UNICEF, Elimu Yetu Coalition, RELI Africa and other strategic partners.

Anchored in the 2010 Constitution, which guarantees every child’s right to education and provides for free and compulsory basic education, these reforms seek to build a more inclusive, responsive and skills-driven education system.

But why are these changes necessary?

Kenya’s education landscape has changed significantly over the years. The introduction of Competency-Based Education (CBE) in 2017 marked a major shift towards practical skills, creativity, collaboration and learner-centred teaching. However, implementation has exposed challenges, including curriculum overload, high costs for parents, inadequate digital infrastructure and weaknesses in foundational literacy and numeracy. Learners with disabilities, marginalised communities and those in adult and continuing education also require greater attention.

At the university level, unsustainable financing has left public institutions struggling with mounting debts, affecting teaching, research and staff welfare. Existing funding arrangements have also raised concerns about equitable access, particularly for students whose religious beliefs prohibit interest-bearing loans.

The proposed reforms therefore have two broad ambitions: Strengthen the implementation of CBE and align Kenya’s education system with emerging regional and global priorities. These include the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the African Union’s Agenda 2063, the Continental Education Strategy for Africa, the Africa TVET Strategy, the African Continental Qualifications Framework and the East African Community Vision 2050.

Beyond curriculum and financing, the reforms address foundational learning, teacher management, technology, quality assurance, infrastructure, governance and coordination between national and county governments.

Importantly, they seek to address fragmented policies, overlapping institutional mandates and inconsistent standards that have made implementation difficult. A more coordinated legal framework will help institutions work together and deliver better education outcomes.

Together with the Sessional Paper, these proposals represent an important opportunity to address longstanding weaknesses and prepare Kenya’s education system for the demands of a rapidly changing world.

Ultimately, the success of this overhaul will not be measured by the number of policies or laws adopted, but by whether every learner can access quality education, acquire relevant skills and contribute meaningfully to the country’s socio-economic transformation.