Kenya’s education reforms offer important lessons on how a developing country can expand access, improve learning, and build a more equitable education system. According to the World Bank, Kenya’s greatest success has been its ability to expand education at scale. The country now serves millions of learners across nearly 90,000 schools with about half a million teachers. Pre-primary and secondary school coverage grew rapidly, with pre-primary institutions increasing by 11% and secondary schools by 17% between 2017 and 2019. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, secondary enrolment had risen by over 50%, demonstrating strong progress in widening access.
Improved early-grade learning outcomes were another positive outcome of the reforms. National assessment data shows gains in foundational numeracy and reading, especially in lower primary classes. This progress has been supported by substantial public investment in education—reaching 5.3% of GDP in 2018, higher than many comparable countries.
However, the report stresses that major challenges remain. Inequality continues to shape educational outcomes: learners in arid and semi-arid counties experience as few as 6.5 effective years of schooling, far below the national average. Children from poorer households face greater barriers to enrolment, completion, and access to quality learning, while disparities across regions persist. The rapid expansion of schooling has also strained resources, raising concerns about whether increased enrolment has translated into stronger learning for all.
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted systemic vulnerabilities, disrupting learning for millions and widening existing inequalities due to limited digital access and uneven remote-learning capacity. The report calls for more equitable resource allocation, stronger local management, data-driven decision-making, and investment in resilience, especially for vulnerable learners.
Overall, the World Bank concludes that Kenya’s reforms demonstrate that access and funding are essential foundations, but sustained progress requires an emphasis on quality, equity, and readiness for future shocks.