The committee on Friday held sittings at County Hall, Nairobi in a session chaired by Mandera South MP Abdul Haro. /PARLIAMENT
Public participation on six proposed education reform Bills has entered the home stretch, with the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Education beginning hearings in the final 16 counties as it seeks to conclude the nationwide exercise on Friday.
The committee will hold public engagements in four counties on Monday, September 28, before moving to the remaining 12 counties over the next four days.
The additional hearings were added after the committee extended the initial public participation programme, which covered 31 counties between September 14 and 25.
The extension means residents and education stakeholders in all 47 counties will have an opportunity to submit views 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, 2026; Pre-Service Education and In-Service Training Bill, 2026; Kenya National Qualifications Framework (Amendment) Bill, 2026; and Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
The proposed laws cover major areas of the education system, including tertiary placement and financing, basic education management, national assessments, teacher training, qualifications and curriculum development.
The Tertiary Education, Placement and Funding Bill proposes a new framework for placing and financing students in tertiary institutions and provides for the establishment of the Tertiary Education Funding Authority through the proposed merger of the Higher Education Loans Board, Universities Fund and 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 national education assessment body, while the Pre-Service Education and In-Service Training Bill seeks to establish a framework for education and training before entry into the profession and for continuing professional development.
The Kenya National Qualifications Framework (Amendment) Bill seeks to amend the framework governing national qualifications and their recognition, while the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (Amendment) Bill proposes changes to the legal framework governing the institute and its curriculum development functions.
The final phase comes after the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) questioned the pace of the initial exercise and called for its suspension.
Kuppet argued that the two-week timetable was too short for meaningful public engagement and raised concerns about access to some hearing venues, particularly for stakeholders in rural and marginalised areas.
The union also called for greater public sensitisation on the contents and implications of the proposed laws before they proceed through the legislative process.
The additional hearings begin on Monday with forums in West Pokot, Marsabit, Mandera and Nandi.
In West Pokot, the hearing will be held at Kenya Medical Training College, Kapenguria Campus, from 9am to 12.30pm.
Marsabit's forum will take place at Kenya Medical Training College, Marsabit Campus, from 9am to 11.30am, while Mandera's will be held at Mandera Technical Training Institute from 2.45pm to 5.15pm.
In Nandi, the public engagement will be held at Ol'lessos Technical Training Institute from 3.30pm to 6pm.
On Tuesday, September 29, the committee will move to Bungoma, Garissa, Busia and Lamu.
The Bungoma hearing will be held at Kibabii University from 9am to 12.30pm, followed by Garissa at Garissa University from 10am to 12.30pm.
In Busia, the forum will take place at Alupe University from 3pm to 6pm, while Lamu's hearing will be held at Fort Hall from 3.30pm to 5.30pm.
On Wednesday, September 30, the committee will hold forums in Vihiga, Kitui and Siaya.
Vihiga's hearing will be at Kaimosi Friends University from 9am to 12.30pm, Kitui at South Eastern Kenya University from 1.30pm to 4.15pm and Siaya at Siaya Institute of Technology from 3pm to 6pm.
The committee will move to Migori, Tharaka-Nithi and Nyamira on Thursday, October 1.
The Migori forum will be held at Migori Teachers Training College from 9am to 12.30pm, Tharaka-Nithi at Chuka University from 10am to 1.30pm and Nyamira at Kenya Medical Training College, Nyamira Campus, from 3pm to 6pm.
The final two hearings will be held on Friday, October 2, in Bomet and Samburu.
The Bomet forum will take place at Bomet University College from 9am to 12.30pm, while the Samburu hearing will be held at Kenya Medical Training College, Maralal Campus, from 10.30am to 1.30pm.
The committee has also extended the deadline for written memoranda to 5pm on October 2, allowing members of the public and stakeholders to make written submissions in addition to attending the hearings.
The submissions may be addressed to the Clerk of the National Assembly, P.O. Box 41842-00100, Nairobi, hand-delivered to the Clerk's office at the Main Parliament Building or sent by email to [email protected].
