New Education Bills: Six laws set to reshape schools, universities and TVETs in Kenya

Kenya’s education system is heading for another major legal overhaul.

The National Assembly Education Committee has entered the final phase of public participation on six Education Reform Bills, taking the proposals to the remaining 16 counties between September 28 and October 2.

The exercise was extended after the initial hearings covered 31 counties. Written memoranda will also be accepted until October 2.

The Bills cover almost the entire education pipeline - from early learning and basic education to universities, TVET, teacher training, examinations and professional qualifications.

Here is what each proposal seeks to change.

1. Tertiary Education, Placement and Funding Bill, 2026

This is the Bill likely to attract the most attention from university and TVET students.

It proposes a new framework for student placement and tertiary education financing, including the establishment of a Tertiary Education Funding Authority (TEFA).

The proposed authority would bring together functions currently handled by the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), Universities Fund and TVET Funding Board.

The Bill is also intended to create a coordinated framework for financing students and trainees in tertiary institutions.

2. Basic Education Bill, 2026

This proposal targets the part of education affecting millions of learners in schools.

It seeks to replace the existing basic-education legal framework and set rules covering early childhood development, primary and Junior schools, school governance, financing, learner welfare, teacher management and quality assurance.

The debate around Junior School management has already drawn different positions from teachers' unions, making this one of the more closely watched proposals.

3. Kenya National Educational Assessments Council Bill, 2026

The proposed law concerns Kenya's national assessment system.

It would establish a legal framework for the Kenya National Educational Assessments Council, replacing the existing legal framework governing the Kenya National Examinations Council.

The change comes as Kenya continues moving away from an examination-only model towards competency-based assessment under CBC.

4. Pre-Service Education and In-Service Training Bill, 2026

This Bill focuses on the people delivering education: Teachers and education managers.

It proposes a legal framework for training people before they enter the teaching profession, alongside continuous professional development for serving teachers and education managers.

In practical terms, it seeks to put teacher preparation and ongoing professional training under a clearer statutory framework.

5. Kenya National Qualifications Framework (Amendment) Bill, 2026

This proposal deals with something less visible to parents but important to graduates:

How qualifications are recognised and tracked.

The Bill proposes changes to the national qualifications framework, including measures to strengthen credential tracking and establish a national qualifications database.

The broader objective is to make qualifications easier to verify and better connected across Kenya's education and training system.

6. Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (Amendment) Bill, 2026

The sixth proposal concerns the institution responsible for curriculum development.

The Bill seeks to amend the legal framework governing the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) and streamline its mandate and curriculum-development functions.

It also seeks to address overlaps between KICD and the proposed tertiary education framework.

What happens after public participation?

The October 2 deadline does not mean the six Bills automatically become law.

The Education Committee will compile the views received and prepare its report before the proposals proceed through the parliamentary stages, including Second Reading and Committee Stage, where MPs can consider amendments.

For parents, teachers, students and institutions, the important point is that these are still proposed laws.

But taken together, the six Bills would create a new legal architecture for Kenya's education system.

it involves determining how students are funded and placed, how schools are governed, how learning is assessed, how teachers are trained, how qualifications are recorded and how the curriculum system operates.