Are schools run by the county or the national government?
Constitution of Kenya 2010 · sources read 5 Oct 2026
The national government runs primary and secondary schools, special education, universities and colleges, and sets education policy, curricula and exams. County governments run pre-primary education (ECDE), village polytechnics, homecraft centres and childcare facilities.
- Where
- Pre-primary (ECDE), village polytechnics and childcare: your county government. Primary, secondary, special schools, universities and colleges: the national Ministry of Education. Teachers: TSC
Steps
- For a pre-primary (ECDE) centre, village polytechnic or childcare facility, go to your county's education department.
- For a public primary or secondary school, special school, university or college, the national government (Ministry of Education) is responsible.
- Teachers in public primary and secondary schools are recruited and employed by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), not the county.
Watch out
- Curricula, exams and education standards are set nationally, even for county-run pre-primary centres.
- Any function not given to counties by the Constitution or a national law stays with the national government.
- Under the Early Childhood Education Act, each county must provide free and compulsory pre-primary education in public centres and set up the centres needed.
- Pre-primary (ECDE) teachers in public centres are recruited by the county government, not TSC.
- The pre-primary curriculum counties use is developed by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), following the Cabinet Secretary's curriculum policy.
Who this covers
- Every child has the right to free and compulsory basic education.
Official sources (2)
- Constitution of Kenya, 2010 new.kenyalaw.org · read 2 Oct 2026
- Early Childhood Education Act (Cap. 211B, No. 3 of 2021), version of 31 December 2022 new.kenyalaw.org · read 5 Oct 2026