Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius K. Bitok

The Ministry of Education has officially released the
academic calendar dates for the 2026 academic year.

The comprehensive schedule details term dates for Basic
Education Institutions and Diploma Teachers Training Colleges (DTTCs).

Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok signed
the circular, which was copied to Education CS Julius Ogamba, the Teachers
Service Commission, Kenya National Examination Council and Council of Governors.

The circular has been dispatched to all regional directors
of education, county directors of education and sub-county directors of
education.

Basic Education Institutions, which include pre-primary,
primary, junior, senior, and secondary schools, will begin the year on January
5, 2026.

Term I will run for 13 weeks, closing on April 2, 2026.
Students will enjoy a five-day half-term break from February 25 to March 1,
2026.

The April holiday is set for three weeks, from April 7 to April
24, 2026.

Term II is scheduled to last 14 weeks, opening on April 27 and
concluding on July 31, 2026.

A second half term will take place between June 24 and June
28. This will be followed by a three-week August holiday, which ends on August
21.

The final term, Term III, will be the shortest at nine
weeks. It is scheduled from  August 24 to
October 23, 2026. 

The circular also confirms the dates for all major national
examinations. The Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) and Kenya
Intermediate Level Education Assessment (KILEA) are slated for five days.

They will run from October 26, 2026. The Kenya Junior School
Education Assessment (KJSEA) and Kenya Pre-Vocational Level Education
Assessment (KPLEA) will also begin on October 26.

They will run for seven days.
The Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) will take place over three
weeks. KCSE is scheduled from November 2 to November 20, 2026.

Students will then begin their long end-of-year break. The
December holiday is scheduled to last 10 weeks. It will run from October 26,
2026, until  January 1, 2027.

Separately, the Diploma Teachers Training Colleges will
follow a similar schedule.

Their Term III, however, will extend until November 6, 2026,
lasting 11 weeks. Their December holiday starts on November 9.

The Ministry has also maintained an existing restriction for
secondary schools.

The circular states clearly, “Activities and visits to
secondary schools in third term 2026 remain banned as per the earlier
circulars.” The document was directed to all institutions of basic education.