Grade 10 rollout in peril over Sh11b publishers' debt

Kenya Publishers Association led by chairman Kiarie Kamau at a press briefing in Nairobi on October 7 2025. [Edward Kiplimo,Standard]

The transition of learners to Grade 10 under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) is in jeopardy as the Kenya Publishers Association (KPA) warns of an impending textbook shortage caused by a staggering Sh11.4 billion government debt.

KPA chairperson Kiarie Kamau said the government’s failure to pay publishers for books already supplied to learners in Grades 1 to 9 has left the industry financially crippled, threatening the timely rollout of new Senior School learning materials.

“The delay in payment has paralyzed the operations of many publishing houses. Printers, authors, distributors and even the Kenya Revenue Authority have been affected as publishers cannot meet their financial obligations,” said Kamau.

According to KPA, the Ministry of Education, through the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), owes publishers Sh11.15 billion for books supplied to learners in Grades 1 to 8 and an additional Sh234.5 million for Grade 9, bringing the total outstanding amount to Sh11.38 billion.

Kamau revealed that printers alone are owed nearly Sh4 billion by KPA, warning that if the situation is not resolved urgently, publishers will be unable to print and distribute the required Grade 10 textbooks in time for the January 2026 school term.

The government was expected to begin the next phase of textbook distribution between October and December 2025, covering 35 titles across 21 publishing firms. However, KPA says production has yet to begin due to lack of funds.

“This simply means we are behind schedule. Printing and publication should have started already,” Kamau said, adding that although the Grade 10 curriculum is ready, the rollout cannot proceed without adequate financial support.

The production plan involves printing and distributing seven million copies of senior school textbooks at an estimated cost of Sh2.5 billion.

Kamau stressed the process requires at least 90 days, making timely payment critical if learners are to have books when schools reopen in January.

The Grade 10 curriculum features five compulsory subjects: English, Kiswahili, Mathematics, Community Service Learning and Information and Communication Technology (ICT), underscoring the importance of textbooks in ensuring a smooth transition to Senior School.

Kamau lauded the partnership between publishers and the Ministry of Education since 2018, which has enabled the country to achieve a one-to-one textbook-to-learner ratio in public schools, with over 200 million books distributed nationwide.