The Ministry of Education has officially unveiled the 2026 academic calendar for all Basic Education Institutions and Diploma Teachers Training Colleges (DTTCs). The circular, signed by Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok and copied to Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba, the Teachers Service Commission, and the Kenya National Examination Council, details key term dates and national examination schedules.
According to the calendar, all pre-primary, primary, junior, senior, and secondary schools will reopen for Term I on January 5, 2026. The first term will span 13 weeks, ending on April 2, 2026, with a five-day mid-term break from February 25 to March 1. Learners will then go on a three-week April holiday from April 7 to April 24.
Term II will commence on April 27 and run for 14 weeks until July 31, 2026. A half-term break will take place between June 24 and June 28, followed by the August holiday from August 1 to August 21.
The third term, which is the shortest, will last nine weeks, starting on August 24 and ending on October 23, 2026. This term will feature major national examinations.
The Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) and Kenya Intermediate Level Education Assessment (KILEA) will begin on October 26 and run for five days. Similarly, the Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) and Kenya Pre-Vocational Level Education Assessment (KPLEA) will start the same day, lasting seven days. The Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination is scheduled for November 2–20, 2026.
Students will proceed on a 10-week December holiday from October 26, 2026, to January 1, 2027. For DTTCs, Term III will end on November 6, 2026, with holidays starting November 9.
The Ministry also reaffirmed that visits and extracurricular activities in secondary schools during Term III remain banned, in line with previous directives.
