Cabinet greenlights KUCCPS-HELB merger
By Cy Muganda, February 10, 2026The Cabinet has approved a package of education reform Bills that will consolidate the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), the Universities Fund, the TVET Funding Board, and the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) into a single authority.
In a statement released on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, the Cabinet disclosed that the reforms mark 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.
“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 statement read.
Implementation of recommendations
The reforms implement the recommendations of the Presidential Working Party on Education Reform and aim to eliminate long-standing duplication, overlaps, and inefficiencies across the sector.
According to the reforms, the Tertiary Education Placement and Funding Bill, 2024, will streamline student placement, loans, scholarships, and career guidance.
“At the tertiary level, the Tertiary Education Placement and Funding Bill, 2024, consolidates the Higher Education Loans Board, the Universities Fund, the TVET Funding Board, and the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) into a single authority to streamline student placement, loans, scholarships, and career guidance,” the statement read.
The Cabinet also endorsed the Kenya National Qualifications Framework (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which clarifies the mandate of the Kenya National Qualifications Authority.
“Under the Bill, the Authority will focus on setting national qualifications standards, while accreditation and equivalence of qualifications remain with respective regulators,” the Cabinet stated.
Assessment and curriculum reforms
Further reforms include the Basic Education Bill, 2024, which aligns the system with the Competency-Based Education structure, strengthens quality assurance, rationalises school governance, and introduces coordinated administration of bursaries and scholarships.
The Kenya National Educational Assessments Bill, 2025, will replace the traditional examination-centric model with competency-based assessments, while the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (Amendment) Bill, 2024, limits the Institute’s mandate to basic and teacher education, restructuring its Board to eliminate overlaps.
Teacher preparation and professional development will also be addressed through the Pre-Service Education and In-Service Training in Basic Education Bill, 2025, and the Education Administrative Tribunal Bill, 2024, which establishes a mechanism for resolving education-related disputes.
“The Education Administrative Tribunal Bill, 2024, establishes a mechanism for resolving education-related disputes,” the statement added.