The Kenyan government has increased its national education allocation to Sh784.5 billion for the 2026/27 financial year, up from Sh702 billion in 2025/26. The funding expansion aims to bolster teacher recruitment, advance educational equity, expand technical skills, and support ongoing competency-based education reforms.
Speaking during the Second East African Community (EAC) Regional Conference on Education in Nairobi, Principal Secretary for Higher Education and Research Dr. Beatrice Inyangala highlighted that the new budget allocation accounts for approximately 27% of the national budget and 4.9% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Targeted Budgetary Breakdown
According to the National Treasury’s 2026/27 Budget Statement, the Sh784.5 billion education purse is distributed across key sector sub-votes:
- Teachers Service Commission (TSC): Sh424.3 billion
- Higher Education: Sh163.9 billion
- Basic Education: Sh136.6 billion
- Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET): Sh58.5 billion
- Science, Innovation, and Research: Sh1.3 billion
Empowering the Workforce via Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)
A core highlight of the government’s skill development strategy is the operationalisation of the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) framework. PS Inyangala noted that RPL enables skilled artisans and informal sector workers to have their experiential and non-formal skills formally assessed, certified, and accredited.
“RPL provides a structured pathway for informal sector workers to obtain recognized qualifications, opening up access to formal employment, further TVET training, and broader economic opportunities,” Inyangala emphasized.
Addressing Staffing Disparities and Systemic Reforms
To support competency-based curriculum delivery, the government continues to prioritize teacher recruitment, continuous professional development, and ICT integration. However, the PS acknowledged that staffing gaps and regional deployment imbalances persist at primary and junior secondary levels, necessitating medium-term deployment planning aligned with enrollment growth.
Additionally, the state is rolling out the Kenya Education Management Information System (KEMIS) to centralize learner data, streamline resource allocation, and enhance evidence-based decision-making.
The four-day EAC conference, running from August 25 to 28 under the theme “Transforming Education in East Africa: From Commitments to Impact, Fostering Resilient and Future-Ready Systems for Sustainable Development,” gathers regional policymakers and educators to align technical, vocational, and formal education frameworks across the bloc.