MPs plan retreat to discuss education reform Bills

By  Samwel Owino

Reporter

Nation Media Group

Members of Parliament are planning a one-day retreat with education experts over the six Bills currently under consideration by the House that are set to transform the sector.

Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetang’ula termed the Bills as critical as they touch on every facet of the education sector, hence the need for lawmakers to understand their implications before debate.

Mr Wetang’ula said he will give directions on Tuesday next week, October 6, 2026, on whether MPs should hold an informal meeting (kamukunji) or have a one-day retreat with education experts to take them through the Bills.

“Nothing is as important as the education of our children. These are important Bills because they completely change the structure of our education system,” Mr Wetang’ula said.

“Once the ongoing public participation by the education committee is done, we will decide whether to have a kamukunji or retreat with experts where members will be briefed on salient issues contained in the Bills,” added the speaker.

The speaker was responding to concerns raised by Emuhaya MP Omboko Milemba, who requested an extension of the public participation period due to the critical changes the Bills are set to bring in the education sector.

The six Bills that MPs are set to give priority to once public participation is done in order to bring clarity in the education sector include the Tertiary Education, Placement and Funding Bill, 2026, the Basic Education Bill, 2026 and the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (Amendment) Bill, 2026

Others are the Kenya National Education Assessment Council Bill, 2026, the Pre-Service Education and In-Service Training Bill, 2026; and the Kenya National Qualifications Framework (Amendment) Bill, 2026.

The Basic Education Bill, 2026, among others, seeks to replace the existing legal framework governing basic education, covering school governance, financing, learner welfare, teacher management, quality assurance and education data.

The education committee is currently undertaking public participation on the Bills, an exercise that is expected to be concluded by Friday next week, paving the way for consideration of the Bills by the House.

The tabling of the public participation report by the committee will pave the way for the Second Reading of the Bills and Committee Stage, where MPs shall propose and consider any amendments arising from the public participation exercise for incorporation before passage of the Bills.

The Tertiary Education, Placement and Funding Bill, 2026 is important as it seeks to establish a new framework for financing and placing students in universities and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (Tvet) institutions.

Under the proposed system, students would access loans to finance their education and repay them after completing their studies, reducing the direct tuition burden on parents.

The Kenya National Educational Assessments Council Bill, on the other hand, proposes a new legal framework for national assessments and repeal of the existing Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) Act, while the Pre-Service Education and In-Service Training Bill seeks to strengthen teacher preparation and continuous professional development.

The Kenya National Qualifications Framework (Amendment) Bill proposes measures to strengthen credential tracking and establish a national qualifications database, while the KICD Amendment Bill seeks to streamline the institute’s mandate and eliminate overlaps with the tertiary education sector.

The Pre-Service Education and In-Service Training Bill, 2026 seeks to establish a legal framework for training prospective teachers as well as continuous professional development for serving teachers and education managers.

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