The Ministry of Education in the Basic Education Bill, 2024, is suggesting a significant shift in the leadership structure of County Education Boards (CEBs).
Under the proposed legislation, County Commissioners would take on the role of chairpersons, deviating from the current Basic Education Act, 2013, which mandates the Cabinet Secretary to appoint an educationist based in the county.
Cabinet Secretary for Education Ezekiel Machogu, in a press statement to newsrooms, assured that the Bill would maintain the position of the County Director of Education or their representative as the Secretary to the County Education Board, aligning with the existing Basic Education Law.
These changes were revealed during a stakeholders’ forum at the Kenya Institute of Special Education, where the Ministry discussed the Draft Sessional Paper and Bills designed to implement recommendations from the Working Party. Machogu, who presided over the occasion, emphasized that these adjustments were in response to recommendations by the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms (PWPER).
Key attendees included Principal Secretaries for the State Departments of Basic Education, Technical Vocational and Technical Training, and University Education and Research – Dr. Belio Kipsang, Dr. Esther Muoria, and Dr. Beatrice Inyangala, respectively.
CS Machogu also announced the government’s commitment to restoring the Sh22,244 capitations for the Free Days Secondary Education programme, addressing concerns about reduced capitation to Sh17,000 due to fiscal constraints.
Additionally, the Universities Bill, 2024, proposes restricting universities to graduate and postgraduate programs, excluding diploma courses, which should be offered by middle-level colleges.
The Ministry presented various bills and a Sessional Paper on a Policy Framework for Education Reforms in Kenya, 2024, during the stakeholder engagement. CS Machogu stated, “The Sessional paper will anchor all the recommendations in the Report and provide the vehicle through which the Report will be presented to Parliament for adoption.”
Stakeholders, including teachers’ unions, faith-based organizations, public university Vice-Chancellors, civil society members, senior education officials, and organizations in the education sector, participated in the discussions surrounding these proposals.
