Comprehensive School Model: Why KUPPET Is Fighting the Junior School Merger Plan.
Junior school teachers, through the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), are pushing back hard against a proposal in the new Basic Education Bill, 2026 that would legally merge primary and junior schools into a single institution known as a “comprehensive school.” Their objection is simple: they do not want one head running a school that stretches from Early Childhood Development (ECD) all the way to Junior Secondary School.
This fight is playing out right now, as Parliament holds public hearings on six education bills in 31 counties between September 14 and 25, 2026.
What Is a “Comprehensive School” Under the New Bill?
A comprehensive school, as defined in the government’s current thinking, is a single institution that brings together pre-primary (ECD), primary school and junior school on one campus, under one Board of Management (BoM), with one consolidated funding arrangement.
Kenya currently runs primary and junior schools as functionally separate levels, even though most Junior Secondary School (JSS) learners have, since 2023, been “domiciled” in primary school compounds for practical reasons.
The Basic Education Bill, 2026 goes further than that informal arrangement. Published by the National Assembly on 24 July 2026, the Bill seeks to repeal and replace the current Basic Education Act (Cap. 211) and would give the comprehensive school model full legal backing rather than leaving it as an administrative policy that could, in theory, be reversed.
Read Also: TSC ICT Training Allowance for Junior School Teachers: What’s Confirmed and What’s Still Unclear
Under the structure the Ministry of Education endorsed at a National Conference on Education held at Lake Naivasha in May 2026, each comprehensive school would have:
| Role | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Head of Institution (Principal) | Overall leadership of the merged school |
| Deputy Head – Primary section | Day-to-day management of ECD and primary levels |
| Deputy Head – Junior School section | Day-to-day management of JSS |
| Board of Management (BoM) | Single governing board for the entire institution |
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has indicated that the government intends to roll out the comprehensive school arrangement from the next financial year, which has added urgency to the objections now being raised in county after county.
KUPPET’s Objection, in the Union’s Own Words
Speaking during public hearings in Trans Nzoia County, KUPPET representatives stated plainly: “We cannot have one head running from ECD to Junior Secondary School. This will cause chaos.”
The union’s counter-proposal is straightforward: junior secondary school should have its own dedicated principal, while ECD and primary school continue under their existing, separate management structures. In effect, KUPPET wants the law to formally recognise JSS as a distinct institution, not a section within a larger primary-dominated school.
This is not a new position. KUPPET officials have objected to JSS being folded into primary schools since at least early 2026, arguing that hosting junior schools inside primary compounds has undermined the smooth rollout of the Competency-Based Curriculum. What has changed is the stakes: a policy that could previously be adjusted administratively is now being written into binding legislation.
Why This Matters to Junior School Teachers Specifically
The concern goes beyond who reports to whom. Many JSS teachers moved into the junior school cadre from secondary school teaching when the Competency-Based Curriculum was introduced, and their professional identity already sits somewhat awkwardly between the primary and secondary systems.
Read Also: 180-Day Maternity Leave Push: What It Actually Means for TSC Teachers
Union officials in Kilifi County went further, describing the original decision to domicile junior schools inside primary compounds as a “very dangerous move” driven by “emotions rather than facts,” and blaming it for a sharp rise in government spending on teacher recruitment.
Teachers’ concerns generally centre on three practical issues:
- Deployment and mobility. A single head of institution overseeing three levels could affect how JSS teachers are transferred, promoted or assigned, compared with a system where JSS has its own leadership.
- Resource competition. ECD, primary and JSS sections within one institution would compete for the same pooled capitation and infrastructure budget, rather than each level having a protected allocation.
- Professional identity. JSS teachers argue that being institutionally absorbed into primary schools blurs the distinction the Competency-Based Curriculum was meant to establish between primary and secondary-level teaching.
This opposition is not confined to one region. Similar objections have been raised at hearings in Kisumu, Kakamega and Kilifi counties, where stakeholders have called for junior secondary schools to be recognised as autonomous, standalone institutions with independent management.
Where the Comprehensive School Idea Came From
The comprehensive school concept did not originate with this year’s Bill. It traces back to the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms (PWPER), chaired by the late Prof. Raphael Munavu, which delivered its report to President William Ruto in August 2023 after nationwide consultations.
Among its recommendations was a new Section 56A of the Basic Education Act creating comprehensive schools spanning pre-primary, primary and junior school, each headed by a principal supported by deputy principals for the different levels.
Read Also: TSC Closes September Payroll as PAYE Relief for Teachers Slips to October 2026
The Ministry of Education formally endorsed the model at the National Conference on Education at Lake Naivasha in May 2026, settling on the one-principal, two-deputy structure now written into the Basic Education Bill, 2026.
Other Voices in the Public Participation Process
KUPPET is far from the only stakeholder using the hearings to push for changes. The six bills under review touch funding, assessment, teacher training and curriculum development, and the concerns raised reflect that breadth.
Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESSHA) has called for a dedicated basic education fund specifically for secondary schools, aimed at protecting secondary institutions from funding ambiguity once resources are pooled at the lower levels.
This concern sits alongside a wider, ongoing dispute over secondary school capitation: schools have been receiving well below the statutory annual rate of KSh 22,244 per learner in recent disbursements, and KESSHA has separately pushed for higher parent-borne fees to close the gap.
Kenya Primary School Heads Association (KEPSHA) raised a more technical concern: verifying learner numbers for funding purposes. KEPSHA’s Trans Nzoia chapter proposed using assessment numbers — the identifiers learners are assigned from Grade 3 through Grade 9 — rather than birth certificates, arguing that birth-certificate requirements have caused delays in establishing accurate enrolment figures for capitation.
This mirrors a broader administrative headache the Ministry has acknowledged: its newer learner-tracking platform, KEMIS, is still being finalised, and current disbursements have not yet been able to rely on it.
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) used the hearings to press for expanded funding of both pre-service and in-service teacher training, reflecting anxiety that structural changes like the comprehensive school model will require skills many serving teachers have not yet been equipped with.
Representatives of persons with disabilities called for stronger inclusion of learners with conditions such as autism within the reformed framework, and asked that existing HELB support arrangements for learners with disabilities be preserved rather than altered.
The TVET sector brought hard numbers into the debate. Kitale National Polytechnic reported a 15.2 percent dropout rate among its students, with inability to pay fees accounting for 43 percent of those dropouts.
The institution used this data to argue for changes to the Tertiary Education, Placement and Funding Bill’s loan-repayment terms — specifically, that repayment should begin only once a beneficiary has secured substantive employment, rather than on a fixed timeline after graduation. As currently drafted, that Bill requires beneficiaries to begin repaying loans one year after securing employment.
Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST) in Kakamega called for clearer separation of institutional mandates to avoid overlaps and accreditation conflicts across the sector — echoing, at the tertiary level, the same worry driving KUPPET’s objection at the basic education level, that merging institutional boundaries creates confusion rather than efficiency.
MMUST also proposed cutting the graduate loan deduction rate from the proposed 25 percent to just 5 percent, arguing the higher figure would be unsustainable for young professionals starting their careers.
Parents and faith-based organisations called for stronger parental involvement in school governance and continued government support for faith-sponsored institutions.
Read Also: Dr. Samwel Marigat Named New TSC Director of Staffing
The Six Bills Under Review
The comprehensive school debate is only one part of a much larger legislative package. Parliament’s Departmental Committee on Education, chaired by Tinderet MP Julius Melly, is gathering public views on:
- The Basic Education Bill, 2026 — the most extensive of the six, repealing and replacing the Basic Education Act, Cap. 211, and anchoring the comprehensive school model, disciplinary provisions, and school registration penalties (including fines of up to KSh 20 million or imprisonment for operating unregistered schools) in law.
- The Tertiary Education, Placement and Funding Bill, 2026 — governs university and TVET funding, scholarships and student loans.
- The Kenya National Educational Assessments Council Bill, 2026 — reforms the national assessment framework.
- The Pre-Service Education and In-Service Training Bill, 2026 — covers teacher training pathways.
- The Kenya National Qualifications Framework (Amendment) Bill, 2026 — amends how qualifications are recognised and benchmarked.
- The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (Amendment) Bill, 2026 — restructures KICD’s leadership, mandate and governing council.
Public Participation Schedule and How to Submit Views
The hearings are grounded in Article 118(1)(b) of the Constitution, which obliges Parliament to facilitate public participation in its legislative business. The rollout schedule covers all 31 counties:
| Dates (September 2026) | Counties |
|---|---|
| 14 | Uasin Gishu, Elgeyo-Marakwet |
| 15 | Trans Nzoia, Kakamega, Kilifi, Tana River |
| 16 | Kisumu, Makueni, Taita Taveta, Homa Bay |
| 17 | Machakos, Kisii, Embu, Kericho |
| 18 | Meru, Narok, Kirinyaga, Kajiado |
| 21 | Wajir, Turkana |
| 22–24 | Kiambu, Nakuru, Murang’a, Baringo, and remaining counties |
| 25 | Final session, Parliament Buildings, Nairobi (10:00 AM–5:30 PM) |
Members of the public who cannot attend a physical hearing may submit written memoranda. Written submissions are due to the Clerk of the National Assembly, or by email to cna@parliament.go.ke, by 5:00 PM on 24 September 2026.
Committee chairperson Julius Melly has told stakeholders in several counties, including Trans Nzoia and Kakamega, that their views — including KUPPET’s objection to the comprehensive school structure — are being recorded and will feed into the Committee’s eventual report to Parliament.
What Happens Next
Once the public participation window closes on 25 September, the Departmental Committee on Education will consolidate submissions from across the country into a report. That report goes back to Parliament for further legislative stages, including possible amendments to the Bill’s text.
The timeline is tight. With CS Ogamba having already signalled an intention to roll out comprehensive schools from the next financial year, there is limited room for prolonged negotiation once hearings end. For now, KUPPET and allied junior school teachers say they intend to keep pressing their case at every remaining hearing, from the counties still on the schedule through to the final Nairobi session.
Their core demand has not shifted: junior secondary school should be recognised in law as its own institution, with its own principal, rather than being absorbed into a single comprehensive structure spanning ECD, primary and junior levels.
Whether that demand shapes the final version of the Basic Education Bill, 2026 will depend on how the Committee — and ultimately Parliament — weighs it against the government’s stated preference for one consolidated institution, one board and one funding stream.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a comprehensive school in Kenya’s education system?
It is a single institution combining Early Childhood Development, primary and junior school levels under one Board of Management, one head of institution and one consolidated funding arrangement, as proposed under the Basic Education Bill, 2026.
Why is KUPPET opposed to the comprehensive school model?
KUPPET argues that placing ECD, primary and junior school under a single head creates administrative confusion, blurs the professional identity of junior school teachers, and puts different levels of learners into competition for the same pooled resources. The union wants junior secondary school recognised as a standalone institution with its own principal.
When will the comprehensive school model take effect?
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has indicated the government intends to roll it out from the next financial year, though this depends on the Basic Education Bill, 2026 being passed and on the outcome of the ongoing public participation process.
How can I submit my views on the six education bills?
You can attend a scheduled public hearing in your county before 25 September 2026, or submit a written memorandum to the Clerk of the National Assembly, or by email to cna@parliament.go.ke, by 5:00 PM on 24 September 2026.
What other bills are being reviewed alongside the Basic Education Bill?
The Tertiary Education, Placement and Funding Bill; the Kenya National Educational Assessments Council Bill; the Pre-Service Education and In-Service Training Bill; the Kenya National Qualifications Framework (Amendment) Bill; and the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (Amendment) Bill — all 2026.
Comprehensive School Model: Why KUPPET Is Fighting the Junior School Merger Plan.
Follow Teachers Updates on Facebook, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), WhatsApp, Telegram, and Instagram. Get in touch with our editors at hello@teachersupdates.news.
