(NAIROBI, KENYA) – Key education projects remain incomplete at a time when Kenya’s new 2-6-3-3 education system requires substantial investment in infrastructure, equipment and human capital between 2026 and 2028, the Controller of Budget has warned.
The National Government Budget Implementation Review Report for FY2025-26 says that while the new curriculum will require these substantial resources over the next three years, some of the critical projects have delayed for decades. This includes the need for additional and appropriate facilities as learners progress through the new education structure, as well as investment in teacher preparation and equipment.
Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang’o says the KES 12.2 billion ($94.5 million / GBP 74.6 million) Primary School Infrastructure Improvement Project, launched in July 2010, was only 30% complete.
According to Vision 2030, the project entails construction and rehabilitation of 46,000 classrooms and 92,000 toilets at early childhood development education level. It also involves the rehabilitation of 3,000 classrooms in 1,500 primary schools, construction of 60 new classrooms in special needs schools and 10 new classrooms in existing rescue centres.
Additionally, the KES 59.56 billion ($461 million / GBP 364 million) Secondary Infrastructure Improvement Project, which started in July 2012, was only 34% complete by June 2026. The programme aimed to improve infrastructure in public secondary schools, including classrooms, water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, desks and other school infrastructure.
The slowest project was the KES 2.5 billion ($19.4 million / GBP 15.3 million) construction of 10 new Teachers Training Colleges, which had reached only 8% completion despite having started in January 2011. The implementation of the new education structure is being undertaken with several major school and teacher training infrastructure programmes recording low levels of completion.
The infrastructure shortage is already affecting the transition at both junior and senior secondary level. The Senate in July raised concerns over critical shortages of laboratories, libraries, ICT hubs and science equipment in Junior Secondary Schools, saying the gaps are hindering implementation of the curriculum.
At Senior School level, the challenge is becoming more acute as learners enter specialised pathways requiring laboratories and workshops. The Ministry of Education’s 2026-27 plans target the construction of 350 science laboratories in public junior schools, 600 laboratories and 326 workshops in senior schools, underlining the scale of the infrastructure requirements.
The CoB report says the slow implementation of the projects was largely linked to funding constraints. “The general delays in project implementation were attributed to budget constraints,” the CoB says.
Other projects highlighted in the report also show significant implementation gaps. The KES 5 billion ($38.7 million / GBP 30.6 million) ICT Integration in Secondary Schools project, which began in August 2009, was 67% complete by June 2026.
The KES 1.5 billion ($11.6 million / GBP 9.2 million) Assembly of Assistive Devices at the Kenya Institute of Special Education project was only 29% complete, while the construction of the KES 1.59 billion ($12.3 million / GBP 9.7 million) Kibabii Diploma Teachers Training College, which started in August 2012, had reached 81%. The KES 500 million ($3.87 million / GBP 3.06 million) Lugari Diploma Teachers Training College stood at 64%.
Meanwhile, the government is allocating substantial resources to education. The sector received KES 703.07 billion ($5.45 billion / GBP 4.3 billion) in the original FY2025-26 budget, which was subsequently increased to KES 757.5 billion ($5.87 billion / GBP 4.63 billion) in the Supplementary Budget II.
However, only KES 31.02 billion ($240 million / GBP 190 million), equivalent to 4% of the revised allocation, was earmarked for development expenditure. Recurrent spending accounted for KES 726.48 billion ($5.63 billion / GBP 4.44 billion), or 96% of the sector allocation. Actual expenditure reached KES 745.44 billion ($5.78 billion / GBP 4.56 billion), representing 98% of the revised gross estimates.
But the development budget recorded weaker absorption than recurrent spending, Nyakang’o found. Development expenditure amounted to KES 26.75 billion ($207 million / GBP 164 million), an absorption rate of 85%, compared with 99% for recurrent expenditure.
The report also records significant gaps in enrolment. Public primary school enrolment was 1.94 million learners below the government’s target, the largest shortfall recorded among the basic education indicators. Junior Secondary School enrolment was also 599,580 learners below target. The enrolment figures add pressure to the infrastructure challenge as the new education system is rolled out.
Teacher training is another area where infrastructure remains important. The slow progress of the 10 Teachers Training Colleges project means that a programme designed to expand training capacity has remained largely incomplete more than 15 years after it began.