By Benadeta Mwaura - Reporter
Kenya, 13 November 2025 - Kenya’s education system is facing a major disruption ahead of the arrival of the pioneer senior‑school classes under the new curriculum, as publishers warn that government debts of KSh 11.4 billion have put the production and distribution of critical textbooks at risk.
The Kenya Publishers Association (KPA) has sounded the alarm, citing delayed payments to publishers for textbooks already supplied, a debt that threatens to derail the start of the 2026 academic year for Grade 10 learners.
The backlog of payments includes KSh 11.15 billion for supply of books for Grades 1 to 8, and another KSh 234 million for Grade 9 materials.
According to KPA Chairperson Kiarie Kamau, operations within publishing houses are “severely constrained” and the industry may be unable to meet the printing of seven million copies needed for the transition to senior school unless the debt is cleared promptly.
The sector is under pressure: 21 publishing firms are expected to deliver 35 different textbook titles and literary works for Grade 10 by January 2026.
The printing is scheduled to take about 60 days followed by 30 days for distribution, but the financial strain could delay or halt the process altogether.
Why is this important?
The new rollout of the senior‑school curriculum (often referred to as the “pioneer” cohort) depends on learners having access to the right textbooks from day one.
If books are missing, the learning process will be severely hampered, especially for students moving into Grade 10 for the first time under the new system. The crisis arises at a time when the education sector is already grappling with broader financial and structural pressures.
A collapse in production or distribution would deepen inequities: schools in remote or under‑resourced areas are likely to suffer most, and the national aim of smooth implementation of the new curriculum could be jeopardised.
What this means for stakeholders
For students and parents, the risk means possible delays in receiving required textbooks, which may affect learning outcomes and readiness for exams.
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For publishers and printers, the debt effectively blocks cash flow, disrupts operations and places many companies at risk of closure or default. For the government and education policymakers, the crisis presents a reputational risk and could undermine confidence in the new curriculum’s implementation.
Future outlook & what’s next
The government now faces a pressing deadline: settle the overdue payments, or risk the printing chain shutting down.
If the debt remains unresolved, the start of the school year could begin with textbooks missing in many schools, especially for Grade 10.
This scenario would require contingency plans: emergency procurement, temporary digital resources or extensions in the academic calendar.
In the medium term, the situation highlights the need for more reliable funding mechanisms and payment systems in educational publishing.
For Kenya’s broader educational reform ambitions, this incident serves as a reminder that policy rollout depends as much on logistics and financing as on curriculum design.
The textbook crisis in Kenya is more than an operational hiccup, it risks undermining one of the most significant education reforms of the decade.
With KSh 11.4 billion owed to publishers, the country may wake up in 2026 to a new school year where many learners lack books.
The government, publishers and schools must act swiftly to avoid what could become a national learning disaster.
