The disbursement, received in early November, has not introduced any increase in field facilitation despite the expanding responsibilities of the Directorate of Quality Assurance and Standards under the Competency-Based Education (CBE) system.
At the same time, a proposal for an additional Sh600 million to strengthen the Directorate is before Parliament as part of the 2026/2027 budget deliberations. The proposed funding has not yet been approved or released.
Revisiting the 2024 AIE arrangement
The current operational funding arrangement gained prominence in 2024 when the Ministry of Education introduced dedicated budgetary support for Quality Assurance and Standards activities.
Education News reported that approximately Sh300 million annually was intended to support the Directorate's operations.
The reported annual allocation bands were:
Administrative level Reported annual allocation
Sub-County QASO Sh260,000–400,000
County QASO Sh650,000–1,200,000
Regional QASO Sh1,000,000–1,500,000
These figures represent indicative ranges reported in 2024, not guaranteed amounts for every officer.
Authority to Incur Expenditure (AIE) provides an authorised officer with the authority to incur expenditure within approved budgetary limits and in accordance with public financial management regulations. It facilitates official assignments and is not a personal allowance or salary supplement.
The proposed Sh600 million
The proposed additional Sh600 million featured in the 2026/2027 budget deliberations, with the National Assembly's Budget and Appropriations Committee considering additional recurrent funding under Vote 1066, Programme 0503000 – Quality Assurance and Standards.
The proposal is intended to strengthen the Directorate's capacity to discharge its mandate amid increasing demands on the education sector.
However, its parliamentary status remains important: the proposal is still under consideration and should not be treated as an approved allocation or money already available to QASOs.
If approved, attention will turn to how the additional resources will be utilised and whether they will improve operational support at regional, county and sub-county levels.
CBE expands the quality assurance mandate
The transition to CBE has widened the scope of institutional quality assurance. In addition to assessing infrastructure, staffing and learning resources, QASOs are expected to examine curriculum implementation, learner participation, competency development, school-based assessments and the general learning environment.
The implementation of Junior School and Senior School has further increased the need for regular institutional monitoring. Officers are also expected to identify implementation gaps, advise school administrators and recommend corrective measures.
The Ministry's professional frameworks, including the Handbook for Quality Assurance and Standards Officers, the Institutional-Based Quality Assurance framework and the National Education Quality Assurance and Standards Framework, guide systematic assessment and reporting.
Effective implementation, however, requires officers to reach institutions regularly and follow up on recommendations.
Staffing and operational challenges
The need for adequate facilitation is also reflected in historical staffing challenges.
The Office of the Auditor-General's 2020 Performance Audit Report on Fire Safety Preparedness in Secondary Schools indicated that the country had 385 QASOs against an ideal requirement of 858, leaving a shortfall of 473 officers across 286 sub-counties.
The audit also highlighted inadequate transport and the large number of institutions requiring assessment.
Although these figures do not represent the current staffing position, they illustrate the operational pressures facing the quality assurance function.
The sub-county perspective
Sub-County QASOs are at the frontline of institutional quality assurance. Their work includes school assessments, curriculum monitoring, investigations, safety inspections, follow-up visits and reporting to education administrators.
The workload differs across sub-counties depending on the number of institutions, geographical coverage, learner population and travelling distances.
These variations raise questions about whether the existing allocation formula adequately reflects actual operational demands.
A transparent funding framework that considers such factors would help align resources with approved work programmes, improve institutional coverage and strengthen accountability.
The way forward
With first-half funding already received, attention now shifts to the second half of the financial year and Parliament's decision on the proposed Sh600 million.
QASOs will be watching to see whether the proposal is approved and whether any additional resources will translate into better facilitation for field operations.
Ultimately, the effectiveness of quality assurance under CBE will depend not only on the policies and standards established by the Ministry, but also on the capacity of officers to assess institutions, identify gaps and ensure that corrective measures are implemented.
As Kenya advances its education reforms, adequate operational support for quality assurance remains essential to safeguarding standards and improving the quality of education in every learning institution.
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