Government delays trigger fears of Grade 10 textbook crisis
National
By
Esther Dianah
| Jan 14, 2026
A crisis could be in the offing for the grade 10 learners, as the government delays the disbursement of funds for publishing and printing textbooks.
At the time of enrollment, the government had not released funds for the grade 10 textbooks, adding a strain on the already existing Sh5.4 billion pending bills, for grade 8 and 9 textbooks.
And while the late textbook distribution is not a crisis as yet, education experts warn that if the distribution of grade 10 textbooks is delayed for a month, it could become a crisis.
The pending bills have been blamed for the late publishing and printing of textbooks. Stakeholders note that books ought to have been in school before students report.
Publishers and printers of grade 10 textbooks are now in a race against time to meet the distribution deadline by the end of this month.
With grade 10 enrollment underway, thousands of learners are set to kick off learning, but schools, however, are still awaiting the distribution of textbooks to be distributed.
According to the Kenya Publishers Association, KPA, printers are currently busy producing books to meet the end of month deadline.
KPA Chairman Kamau Kiarie has said that the distribution of textbooks is also underway, as production continues. This is despite the government owing the publishers Sh5.4 billion in pending bills for grade 8 and 9 textbooks.
The government plans to disburse grade 10 textbooks in two tranches, a move that could potentially give way to the counterfeit production of textbooks.
Between 2022 and October 2025, the government owed printers more than Sh11 billion. Early this year, in efforts to clear the pending bills for grade 8 and 9 textbooks, the government disbursed about Sh5.6 billion.
“The amount that was released is a clear publication done for grades 8 and 9. Currently, grade 10 is pending allocation of funds,” KAM CEO Tobias Alando said, noting that following a request from the government to finish the printing of grade 10 textbooks, the majority are doing it out of goodwill.
Despite ongoing production, no funds have been disbursed for grade 10 textbooks.
According to the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) printing and publishing industry under the manufacturing sector is a big sector, with an investment of about Sh100 billion.
Manufacturers foresee a future where pending bills increase, discouraging publishers and printers.
“That means you enter into a situation where you have to seek funds, get loans to be able to print or publish books,” Mr. Alando said, noting that there is a need for a clear mechanism for addressing pending bills.
“If the payments are not done on time and the books are not published on time, the people who will definitely be children,” Tobias Alando.
The government’s plan to distribute the textbooks in two tranches presents a possible scenario where counterfeit books infiltrate the market. Government agencies like the Anti-Counterfeit Authority have been urged to be up arms to deal with counterfeit books.
“Counterfeit books do not benefit the local manufacturers, local publishers, and the local printers,” Tobias Alando said, “when counterfeits come in, they may be cheaper, but that work is done outside the country.
To assure printers and publishers of payments, the Association of Manufacturers recommends that the KICD provide letters of guarantee of credit.
Further, they note that there is a need to zero-rate publishing and printing to lessen the burden of paying VAT without payment of service delivery.
According to the Association of Manufacturers, the printers and publishers have indicated their commitment to support the students despite the pending bills.
They have noted that the government needs to sort out several factors to ensure that Education is given a priority, especially when budgeting for the new system, particularly grade 10 intakes.
Prof. Charles O. Ong’ondo, the CEO of Kebya Institute of Curriculum Development, told publishers that the institute had received Sh5.6 billion from the Ministry of Education.
Prof. Ong’ondo confirmed that KICD had already initiated the process of disbursing the funds to the 23 publishers with pending bills, to ease the financial strain faced by the publishing industry.
Publishers commenced printing of the 35 approved textbooks and literary works for Grade 10 learners, even as they await receipt of the funds.
The publishers further committed to distributing at least 50 per cent of the required books to schools by Friday, 16th January 2026, with a target of completing 100 per cent printing and distribution by 31st January 2026.
Due to non-payment by publishers, printers were unable to proceed with the production of Grade 10 textbooks temporarily, putting the implementation of the CBC curriculum at risk.
Stakeholders say that it is therefore paramount for the Government to urgently clear the pending bills to prevent a potential textbook supply crisis as schools reopen.
The textbook production process requires a minimum of 60 days for printing and an additional 30 days for distribution. The Association of Manufacturers says that issuing contracts on short notice disrupts cash flow, forcing both publishers and printers to rely on costly credit facilities.