Senators have called for the retraction of a directive by the Ministry of Education Principal Secretary for Basic Education Prof Julius Bitok that seeks to abolish separate diploma training for early childhood development education (ECDE) teachers and merge it with Diploma in Primary Teacher Education (DPTE).
The senators warned that merging the two could disrupt devolved education functions and undermine gains made in early learning. ECDE is a function of county government and not the national government.
Withdrawal of the circular would be a reprieve to thousands of students in colleges pursuing the ECDE course and who stand to be affected by the Prof Bitok’s directive.
The directive, communicated through a circular dated January 19, 2026, proposes the consolidation of the Diploma in Early Childhood Teacher Education (DECTE) and the DPTE into a single programme—Diploma in Teacher Education Pre-Primary and Primary (DTE PP & P).
Governors and education stakeholders have described the move as draconian, warning that it could leave thousands of students currently undertaking ECDE diploma courses stranded, while straining county budgets and weakening early childhood education.
The Council of Governors (CoG) says counties were not consulted despite ECDE being a devolved function, raising concerns that the directive undermines the principles of devolution. The governors have threatened to move to court to block the directive if it is not withdrawn.
CoG Education Committee chairperson and Kericho Governor Dr Erick Mutai said the abrupt policy shift risks reversing progress made in early childhood education and disrupting learners already in training.
"ECDE is a devolved function and there must be proper public participation and stakeholders’ engagement, before such a directive is implemented. Counties who run ECDE centres were not consulted on the proposed merger. The circular is coming when we have teachers in class What happens to those who have been trained? What happens to those we have employed?" posed Dr Mutai.
"The directive was introduced abruptly, creating uncertainty for students already enrolled in ECDE programmes and institutions that had admitted trainees under existing guidelines," added Dr Mutai.
Dr Mutai warned that the merger presents policy, professional and implementation gaps that could compromise the integrity of early childhood teacher education, adding that counties may be forced to shoulder additional costs.
“We feel there will be a disruption of the long-established career growth for ECDE professionals, who have enjoyed a systematic growth from diploma to post-graduate levels,” said Dr Mutai.
Chairperson of the Senate Education Committee, Senator Betty Montet, during a session at Bunge Tower, Nairobi, on Tuesday, October 28, 2025.
Photo credit: Dennis Onsongo | Nation Media Group
During a meeting convened on Tuesday by the Senate Standing Committee on Education, lawmakers warned that the move could undermine devolution.
"The issue goes beyond administration and touches on constitutional safeguards. ECDE is a devolved function and any policy change affecting counties must be subjected to public participation and stakeholder consultation. The Senate will defend devolution and the integrity of the education system," stated Betty Montet, the chairperson of the committee.
Senators further warned that merging ECDE with primary education could dilute professional standards and weaken the foundation of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
"Early Childhood Education is a specialised field requiring distinct training approaches. Merging ECDE with primary education could weaken the foundation of the Competency-Based Curriculum," warned Kajiado Senator Seki Lenku Ole Kanar, also a member of the committee.
Early Childhood Professional Association of Kenya (ECPAK) chairperson Dr John Tera Ng’asike said the directive contravenes the Constitution and appears aimed at abolishing specialised ECDE teacher training.
He warned that ECDE teachers risk graduating without adequate subject content and pedagogical skills, which could negatively affect learning outcomes.
Kenya Early Childhood Education Private Training Institutions Association national chairperson James Selei said pre-primary and primary education serve distinct purposes in a child’s educational journey.
“We are petitioning the ministry to withdraw the circular immediately. The merger appears to abolish ECDE training and suggests that PP1, PP2 and primary learners would be taught using the same curriculum,” he said.
Highlighting a section of the directive that would result in counties losing up to Sh12 billion, the CoG reiterated that the circular was in contravention to the law noting that the circular was issued in January 19 2026, months after the first trainees intake in September last year.
“This circular is illegal. This is being issued when there are trainers already in classrooms. That will affect our payroll henceforth. Why on earth will you stop another Kenya for taking another degree or diploma,” said Dr Mutai.
The CoG accused the MoE of making ‘haphazard’ decisions by issuing a directive devoid of structure, goals and implementation plan, stating that it will challenge the directive in court.
The PS further said pre-primary and primary teacher training will be merged into a three-year course, in a circular issued to county and sub-county directors of education.
The PS further directed the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) not to register any candidates for assessment under the cancelled programmes.
However, Ms Montet, argued that the MoE had overstepped its mandate by attempting to centralise a function that is constitutionally devolved to county governments.
"This is not a minor administrative adjustment; it touches on constitutional safeguards. ECDE is a devolved function, and any policy shift must be subjected to public participation and intergovernmental consultation," Ms Montet stated.
Reporting by: Mary Wangari, Winnie Atieno, Collins Omulo Eric Matara
