Schools blamed for stalling Grade 10 textbook distribution

Distribution of Grade 10 textbooks has stalled because many schools failed to submit reports on student numbers and books received. Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) says only 1,213 out of over 23,000 schools have provided the data. Director Charles Ong’ondo blames inaccurate school data as the main issue.

The distribution of Grade 10 textbooks across Kenya has stalled after many schools failed to submit key reports on student numbers and books received, according to the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD).

KICD Director Charles Ong’ondo said the primary challenge is inaccurate data from schools, leading some to report shortages while others have surpluses. “Most of the time we receive incorrect figures. You deliver books to a school and they claim more students than indicated, but it's rare for a school to say they have fewer,” Prof. Ong’ondo stated.

The list used was prepared in September 2025, so student numbers may have changed. KICD completed phase one distribution to public secondary schools, with 11,485,000 out of 11,867,325 books delivered, or 96.78% as of March 27, 2026.

Central and Nairobi regions reached 100%, Western 98.01%, Nyanza 96.94%, Rift Valley 96.66%, Coast 95.51%, Eastern 95.20%, and North Eastern 91.92%. KICD has urged schools to submit accurate data and return excess books. “This issue can be fixed now, but we need school cooperation,” Ong’ondo added, warning delays could affect Grade 11 next year.

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