Ogamba assures schools of textbooks amid financial challenges

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba

The government has assured senior schools that the Ministry of Education is distributing the required textbooks to institutions as Grade 10 learners settle down ready for learning.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba acknowledged challenges in the printing and distribution of the books, largely due to financial constraints affecting publishers, but said measures had been put in place to address the situation.

“As you are aware, there was a challenge with the distribution and printing of these books primarily because the government does owe money to the publishers. Towards the end of 2025, the outstanding amount was about Sh11 billion,” he said.

Ogamba was speaking at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), flanked by publishers, ministry officials and members of the press.

He said the ministry had engaged the National Treasury and secured Sh5.6 billion, which has since been released to publishers to enable them to meet some of their obligations and proceed with the printing and distribution of Grade 10 textbooks.

“We negotiated with the National Treasury and were able to receive Sh5.6 billion, which has since been released to the publishers to allow them to meet some of the obligations and therefore make it possible for them to proceed with the printing and distribution of the Grade 10 books,” he said.

The Cabinet Secretary said the ministry would on Thursday evening release the actual transition rate of the pioneer Competency-Based Education cohort to Grade 10, following the lapse of the extended reporting deadline of January 21.

He explained that the extension had been informed by delayed reporting, as some parents faced financial difficulties while others had applied for changes of school and were awaiting fresh placement results.

By Tuesday, the reporting rate stood at 85 per cent, an outcome Ogamba said would allow learning to begin in earnest as the textbook distribution exercise continues.

“This means that studying in these institutions will start in earnest from next week, which requires that we ensure learners have materials in school to allow teachers to begin delivering the curriculum,” he said.

Ogamba allayed fears from stakeholders that learning would not be possible without textbooks, noting that the ongoing distribution would ensure schools receive at least 40 per cent of the books by Friday, January 23.

“I am glad to report that we are already at 50 per cent, therefore ahead of the timetable we rolled out. I have confirmation and commitment from the publishers and printers that they will be able to release and distribute all the books, 100 per cent of them, by the end of this month,” he said.

He added that although the government may not be able to release the balance of Sh4.4 billion owed to publishers by next week, an agreement had been reached for distribution to continue, citing the government’s demonstrated goodwill.

“There is no reason for the printers and publishers to doubt that the government will meet its obligation of paying the pending bill of Sh4.4 billion, so that this partnership can proceed without hiccups or challenges,” Ogamba said.

The Cabinet Secretary said the books are being distributed at a ratio of two to one per core subject.

He added that where imbalances have arisen due to inter-school transfers, the figures will be rationalised to ensure books follow learners to their new schools.

“There might be a few changes because of the numbers arising from inter-school transfers, with some schools having fewer learners and others having higher numbers,” he said.

“We will rationalise this to ensure that each student has two core books for each core area of study.”

Ogamba reiterated the government’s commitment to supporting basic education, citing the release of Sh44 billion ahead of the official school opening day on January 5.

He added that the ministry, working with the Ministry of Interior, is continuing efforts to trace learners who are yet to report, and has directed school principals to admit those who have not bought new uniforms to report in their previous school attire until the government provides them with a pair.

“So we intend to ensure that we meet the government policy of 100 per cent transition to Grade 10,” he said.