Thousands of Grade 10 learners may be unable to resume school in January 2026 after Members of Parliament demanded a comprehensive audit of the Sh11.3 billion pending bill owed to publishers by the Ministry of Education.
The National Assembly’s Education Committee has directed the Ministry to suspend the distribution of textbooks for the new Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) until an investigation is completed into alleged irregular procurement, inflated costs, and delayed payments to contracted publishers.
The committee members said the decision followed reports that several publishers had not been paid for materials supplied in earlier phases of the CBC rollout, raising questions about accountability in the use of public funds.
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“We cannot allow learners to proceed to the next level when there is no transparency in how Sh11.3 billion was spent. The Ministry must account for every book and every shilling,” said one of the legislators.
The government and debt reportedly owe the publishers billions, which has forced several companies to halt production, jeopardising the supply of textbooks for Grade 10 learners transitioning to senior school.
Officials at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) had earlier announced plans to roll out the new learning materials before the start of the school year.
However, the parliamentary directive means schools may now open without textbooks or delay reopening altogether.
Education stakeholders have warned that the impasse could disrupt the implementation of the CBC, especially in rural public schools that rely entirely on government-provided materials.
“The government must settle outstanding payments and restore confidence among publishers to keep learning on schedule,” said Dr Stephen Kosgei, an education policy expert.
Teachers’ unions have also urged Parliament and the Ministry to strike a balance between accountability and continuity, warning that prolonged delays could cripple teaching and learning when schools reopen in January.
By our reporter
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