The crisis surrounding the rollout of senior school continues to deepen after publishers delayed the delivery of Grade 10 textbooks, leaving learners expected to report to school next Monday without learning materials.
On Tuesday, publishers said they would begin printing the books immediately but warned that logistical constraints mean schools will receive only 50 per cent of the required textbooks by January 16.
Full printing and distribution is expected to be completed by January 31, 2026. With only half of the textbooks available by mid-January, Grade 10 learners will be forced to share books in class.
Students may have to take turns using the same copies during lessons, rely on classmates’ notes, or wait for access to the limited materials available.
Education experts warn that the shortage could disrupt learning, slow lesson progress and make it difficult for teachers to effectively cover the curriculum in the opening weeks of the term.
“The publishers further commit to distributing at least 50 per cent of the required books to schools by Friday, January 16, 2026, with a target of completing 100 per cent printing and distribution by January 31, 2026,” read a joint statement by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) and the Kenya Publishers Association (KPA).
The delay follows a standoff between publishers and the government after printing firms declined to produce Grade 10 textbooks over unpaid arrears amounting to Sh11.4 billion for books supplied to Grades 8 and 9 since 2022.
Parents and guardians purchase textbooks and stationery at Topgate Bookshop in Nairobi on January 5, 2026 ahead of the reopening of schools.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation Media Group
The impasse now threatens to disrupt the rollout of the new senior school curriculum under the competency-based education (CBE) system.
At a joint meeting on Tuesday, KICD and KPA said the delays were partly due to the pending payments. KICD Director and CEO Prof Charles Ong’ondo confirmed that the Ministry of Education had released Sh5.64 billion to settle part of the publishers’ arrears and support printing.
“Prof Ong’ondo confirmed that KICD has already initiated the process of disbursing the funds to the 23 publishers with pending bills and expressed confidence that the amounts would be reflected in the respective publishers’ accounts by Friday, January 9, 2026,” the statement said.
Publishers assured KICD that even as they await receipt of the funds, they would immediately begin printing the 35 approved textbooks and literary works for Grade 10 learners.
A parent buys textbooks for her daughter at a bookshop in Kisumu on January 4, 2025 ahead of the reopening of schools.
Photo credit: Alex Odhiambo | Nation Media Group
The Grade 10 curriculum is broader than that of the phased-out 8-4-4 system. Of the books to be printed, 60 per cent will cover Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), 25 per cent Social Sciences, and 15 per cent Arts and Sports.
The government, however, insisted that funds had already been disbursed and assured parents and schools that textbooks would be delivered next week.
“We are on course. The government has disbursed funds to the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), and textbooks will reach schools in no time—by next week at the latest,” Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok told the Daily Nation.
School heads across the country have raised the alarm over the shortage, warning that learning will be severely affected if lessons begin without textbooks.
Parents purchase textbooks for their children at Eden Bookshop in Mombasa on January 2, 2026 ahead of the reopening of schools.
Photo credit: Kevin Odit | Nation Media Group
Many principals say teachers will be forced to improvise or rely on limited copies that arrive later, undermining effective delivery of the new curriculum.
“Without textbooks, teaching becomes very difficult. We will have to rely on notes and oral explanations, which were designed for the 8-4-4 system. This is a new curriculum, and such an approach will only confuse learners,” said a principal in the Rift Valley.
Another principal in Nairobi said: “We have no textbooks for Grade 10 learners yet. How are we expected to start lessons properly? This will definitely disrupt the first few weeks of school.”
