MPs have called for a review of the government’s textbook funding and procurement model amid concerns that delayed capitation funds could stall the printing and distribution of Grade 11 and Grade 12 Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) textbooks.
Lawmakers raised the concerns during a session of the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Education, where Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok, alongside officials from the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) and other education agencies, appeared to defend their 2026/27 budget estimates.
The debate centred on a looming KSh7 billion debt owed to publishers for books already supplied to schools. Legislators warned that delays in settling the pending bills could erode publishers’ trust in the government and eventually disrupt the supply of senior school textbooks.
Members of Parliament urged the Ministry of Education (MoE) to ensure timely delivery of learning materials, proposing May 2027 as the deadline for the printing and distribution of Grade 12 textbooks.
According to documents presented to the committee, the MoE is heavily dependent on capitation funds to clear existing textbook debts and finance the production of Grade 11 and Grade 12 learning materials.
Meanwhile, KICD Chief Executive Officer Prof. Charles Ong’ondo acknowledged that although procurement for Grade 11 textbooks had been completed, publishers were still awaiting payment.
“The pending bills as at March were about KSh7 billion,” Ong’ondo told the committee.
The current debt of KSh7.7 billion represents a significant increase from the KSh4.4 billion owed in January this year, despite the government making partial payments.
Tinderet MP Julius Melly, who chairs the committee, emphasized that the CBC curriculum requires specialized, pathway-based learning materials.
“You squander the trust of publishers and printers every time you delay these payments,” he said.
However, PS Bitok defended the rollout plan, insisting that the Ministry was still within schedule despite the funding challenges.
“We are very much ahead of time on this issue of Grade 11 books and I don’t think there will be any problem. Already, the procurement of Grade 11 was completed and what we are now waiting for is the money to be paid,” said the PS.
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Grade 11 textbook printing was scheduled to begin in May this year, with nationwide distribution to public schools expected by October. Manuscripts had been submitted to KICD on December 9, 2025, while evaluation results were released on February 10, 2026.
By Frank Mugwe
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