Govt Announces 2026 Opening Dates for Schools Countrywide

The Ministry of Education has released the official complete calendar of academic term dates for the year 2026 for all basic education institutions, including pre-primary, primary, junior, senior, and secondary schools, as well as Diploma Teachers Training Colleges (DTTC). In a circular to all Regional, County, and Sub-County Directors of Education, Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok detailed the schedules for the coming academic year.

PS Bitok in the official communication dated October 9, 2025, outlined the precise opening and closing dates for terms, holidays, and national assessment periods.

According to the ministry, the 2026 academic year for basic education institutions will commence with Term I, which is scheduled to run for 13 weeks.

Basic education term dates 2026

Term I will officially open on January 5, 2026, and close on April 2, 2026. Students will observe a five-day half-term break during this period, beginning on February 25, 2026, and ending on March 1, 2026. Following Term I, the April holiday will last for three weeks, starting on April 7, 2026, and concluding on April 24, 2026.

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According to the Ministry of Education, term II will be the longest, spanning 14 weeks. It is set to open on April 27, 2026, and close on July 31, 2026. A five-day half-term break is slotted within Term II, running from June 24, 2026, to June 28, 2026. This will be followed by the August holiday, a three-week break scheduled from August 3, 2026, to August 21, 2026.

The final teaching period for the year, Term III, will last nine weeks, opening on August 24, 2026, and closing on October 23, 2026.

Ministry of education releases schedule for national examinations and assessments in 2026

Term III is dedicated largely to national assessments and examinations. The schedule for the national assessments is as follows:

• The Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) will take place over four days, from October 26, 2026, to October 29, 2026.
• On the other hand, the Kenya Intermediate Level Education Assessment (KILEA) will take place over five days, from October 26, 2026, to October 30, 2026.
• The Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) and Kenya Pre-Vocational Level Education Assessment (KPLEA) will be held over seven days, running from October 26, 2026, to November 5, 2026.
• The Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations are scheduled to run for three weeks, from November 2, 2026, to November 20, 2026.

The extended end-of-year break, the December holiday, begins on October 26, 2026, and lasts for 10 weeks, concluding on January 1, 2027.

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Diploma Teachers Training Colleges calendar

The academic calendar for Diploma Teachers Training Colleges (DTTC) features slightly different opening dates and term lengths. DTTC Term I begins on January 6, 2026, and closes on April 2, 2026 (13 weeks), followed by the three-week April holiday (April 7 to April 24, 2026).

In addition, the Ministry of Education said term II will run for 14 weeks, opening on April 27, 2026, and closing on July 31, 2026, followed by the three-week August holiday (August 3 to August 21, 2026).

DTTC Term III will span 11 weeks, running from August 24, 2026, to November 6, 2026. The DTTC December holiday will run for eight weeks from November 9, 2026, until January 1, 2027.

“This circular should be distributed to all the institutions of basic education under your jurisdiction,” PS Biotok noted.

He has also maintained that activities and visits to secondary schools in the third term of 2026 remain banned, as per the earlier circulars issued by the ministry.

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