Education

Cabinet Approves Merger of HELB, KUCCPS, and TVET Boards into Single Authority

Government Moves to Consolidate Student Services Under Single Authority

The Kenyan government has approved a comprehensive restructuring of the country’s education sector, with plans to merge multiple tertiary education agencies into one unified body.

In a cabinet dispatch released on Tuesday, February 10, officials announced that four major institutions—the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), the Universities Fund, the TVET Funding Board, and the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS)—will be consolidated into a single authority.

The merger, which will be implemented upon passage of the Tertiary Education Placement and Funding Bill 2024, aims to streamline student placement, loans, scholarships, and career guidance services across the country.

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Presidential Reform Initiative

Cabinet officials confirmed that the restructuring aligns with recommendations from the Presidential Working Party on Education Reform, an initiative designed to address persistent inefficiencies that have plagued the sector for years.

“Cabinet has further considered, adopted, and forwarded to Parliament a package of education reform bills, marking a comprehensive overhaul of Kenya’s education system to align governance, curriculum, assessment, financing, teacher training, and qualifications with the Constitution and the Competency-Based Education and Training framework,” the official statement read.

Shift from Examinations to Competency Assessment

Among the approved reforms is the Kenya National Educational Assessments Bill 2025, which represents a fundamental shift in how student performance is measured. The new legislation will replace the traditional examination-focused approach of the Kenya National Examinations Council with competency-based assessments that evaluate practical skills and knowledge application.

This transition reflects a global trend toward more holistic educational evaluation methods that better prepare students for real-world challenges.

Curriculum Development Changes

The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development may see its responsibilities narrowed under the proposed Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (Amendment) Bill 2024. If approved by Parliament, the institution’s mandate would be limited to basic and teacher education, allowing for more specialized focus in these critical areas.

Clarifying Educational Governance

The Basic Education Bill 2024 has also received cabinet approval. This legislation aims to clearly define the respective roles of national and county governments in education administration—a move that addresses longstanding confusion over jurisdictional responsibilities.

According to the cabinet statement, the bill will strengthen quality assurance mechanisms, rationalize school governance structures, and introduce a coordinated system for administering bursaries and scholarships to students in need.

“The Basic Education Bill 2024 aligns the system with the Competency-Based Education structure, clarifies national and county roles, strengthens quality assurance, rationalizes school governance, and introduces coordinated administration of bursaries and scholarships,” the dispatch noted.

Professional Development and Qualifications

Additional approved legislation includes:

Kenya National Qualifications Framework (Amendment) Bill 2024
This bill will clarify the mandate of the Kenya National Qualifications Authority, ensuring clear standards for educational credentials across all levels.

Pre-Service Education and In-Service Training in Basic Education Bill 2025
Focused on teacher preparation and ongoing professional development, this legislation aims to enhance the quality of instruction in Kenyan classrooms through improved training programs.

Education Administrative Tribunal Bill 2024
This bill will establish formal mechanisms for resolving education-related disputes, providing stakeholders with clear channels for addressing grievances and conflicts within the sector.

Implementation Timeline

The reforms will take effect once Parliament reviews and passes the various bills. Cabinet members have expressed confidence that the legislative package will successfully align all aspects of Kenya’s education system—from governance and curriculum to assessment and financing—with constitutional requirements and the Competency-Based Education and Training framework.

The consolidation of tertiary education bodies is expected to reduce bureaucratic redundancy, improve service delivery to students, and create more efficient allocation of educational resources across the country.

Looking Forward

Education stakeholders, including university administrators, students, and education policy experts, are closely watching the parliamentary process as these transformative bills move through the legislative system. The reforms represent one of the most significant restructuring efforts in Kenya’s education sector in recent years.

The government maintains that these changes are essential for modernizing the country’s educational infrastructure and ensuring that Kenyan students receive world-class preparation for the challenges of the 21st century economy.