National Assembly Departmental Committee on Education chairperson Julius Melly receives views from a Kuppet official during hearings held in Turkana on September 21. /PARLIAMENTThe National Assembly Departmental Committee on Education will on Wednesday hold public participation forums on six proposed education reform bills in Kiambu, Nakuru, Murang’a and Baringo counties, as it seeks views from residents and education stakeholders.
In Kiambu, the forum will be held at Kenyatta University in Kahawa from 9am to 12.30pm, while 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 bills seek to overhaul various aspects of the education sector, including student placement and funding, basic education, national assessments, teacher training, qualifications and curriculum development.
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.
It also seeks to prioritise placement in public tertiary institutions, with placement in private institutions allowed where requested and no vacancies are available in public institutions.
The Basic Education Bill 2026 seeks to replace the Basic Education Act and provide a framework for free and compulsory basic education.
It sets out the roles of the national and county governments, provides for quality assurance and proposes a framework for administering scholarships and bursaries, including the establishment of a fund for their management.
The Kenya National Educational Assessments Council Bill seeks to replace the Kenya National Examinations Council with a new assessment body responsible for, among other functions, awarding certificates and diplomas and verifying their authenticity.
It also sets out provisions on assessments, certification and examination malpractice.
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 Kenya National Qualifications Framework (Amendment) Bill seeks to provide for the development of the National Qualifications Framework, registration of qualifications-awarding institutions and creation of a national qualifications database.
The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (Amendment) Bill proposes changes to the institute's governance and operations, including replacing its council with reconstituted membership and changing the title of the institute's director to chief executive officer.
The committee 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 that were not included in the initial programme.
The initial exercise covered 31 counties and was scheduled to end on September 25.
Hearings in West Pokot, Marsabit, Mandera, Nandi, Bungoma, Garissa, Busia, Lamu, Vihiga, Kitui, Siaya, Migori, Tharaka Nithi, Bomet, Samburu and Nyamira 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.
"Further, the period for submission of written memoranda on the Bills is extended to Friday, October 2, 2026, at 5pm," Njoroge said.
