South African education group Advtech is making a bet that Kenya's private education market will continue to be driven by both the Competency-Based Education (CBE) and the international Cambridge system and is positioning itself to tap into demand across both segments as it expands beyond its home market.
The company has been growing its footprint in Kenya through acquisitions and investment in both curricula, pursuing a strategy that considers the scale of the local education system but also growing demand for internationally recognised qualifications.
Kenya has become one of Advtech's key growth markets outside South Africa, with the group saying demand for both curricula is underpinning its expansion despite perceptions that international schools are increasingly drawing learners away from the national system.
In its latest annual report, Advtech said enrolment in its Cambridge schools continues to rise as more parents opt for the international curriculum, boosting the performance of its Makini Schools brand. At the same time, it said reforms to Kenya's education system have strengthened its confidence in continuing to invest in CBE.
Advtech entered Kenya in 2018 through the acquisition of Makini Schools and the launch of the Crawford brand.
"Our premium-priced Cambridge International curriculum continues to grow in Kenya, with parents increasingly choosing it over the national syllabus. This is having a positive impact on the overall financial performance of the Makini brand," the company said in its annual report.
The strategy has helped lift the group's regional performance. For the year ended December 2025, Advtech's Rest of Africa division posted a 28 per cent increase in revenue and a 33.7 per cent growth in operating profit.
Makini Schools General Manager Godfrey Odhiambo said the company does not view CBE and Cambridge as competing systems but as complementary offerings designed to meet different parental needs as the private education enters a new phase of maturity.
For private sector players in education, the national curriculum delivers enrolment scale, while Cambridge caters to a growing segment of parents seeking globally recognised qualifications, something that Odhiambo said creates a market deep enough to sustain both.
"Cambridge has been in existence for over a hundred years, so it is a stable curriculum. Parents who choose it are often looking for that stability and the internationally recognised pathways it offers," he said.
Odhiambo said the national curriculum continues to account for the largest share of student enrolment, reflecting confidence in the government's commitment to strengthening CBE.
"There's a lot of work going towards strengthening CBE and, by virtue of the fact that it is the national curriculum, there is confidence that it is going to stabilise. A big percentage of our enrollment is skewed towards the local curriculum," he said.
Mr Odhiambo said continued government investment and consultations with education stakeholders have made CBE increasingly robust, even as refinements continue.
"I am confident that CBE is a robust curriculum. There are gaps, yes, but I see the intentionality with which the government is driving its future. I'm not worried about the future of the CBE curriculum," he said, adding the CBE pathways are also increasingly determining the schools that parents select.
“The two curricula – CBE and international Cambrdige – opportunities for parents to make different choices depending on what their children's specific needs are."
Advtech entered Kenya in 2018 through the acquisition of Makini and the introduction of Crawford. The latter was expanded last year and increased student capacity by more than 40 per cent in renewed expansion efforts that also saw the company make new acquisitions including Regis as well as started on major refurbishment of some of the old Makini Schools.
“Our existing brands in the Rest of Africa continued to experience strong enrollment growth. Together with the full-year inclusion of Flipper International Schools (in Ethiopia) and a part-year contribution from the Runda acquisition, revenue increased by 28 per cent) to R574 million. Operating profit increased by 33 per cent to R194 million (Sh1.5 billion), whilst operating margin improved to 33.7 per cent,” said the firm in its annual report.
“At Makini Runda and Flipper International School, we are investing to enhance our competitive position, focusing on improvements to ICT infrastructure and standardising access to AI powered digital learning tools.”
“Our Makini Statehouse school in Nairobi was due to close in December 2026. This has however been avoided through securing a new long-term lease on this prime location. The school will now be redeveloped through a R39 million (Sh299 million) expansion project. This will more than double capacity to 575 students with building work scheduled for completion in December 2026.”
