The Ministry of Education, through the State Department for Basic Education, has released the 2026 academic calendar term dates.
In a circular dated October 9, 2025, Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok said the term dates apply to all basic education institutions across the country.
The basic education institutions include pre-primary, primary, junior, senior, secondary schools, and diploma teacher training colleges.
According to the circular, pre-primary, primary, junior, senior, and secondary schools will begin the first term on January 5, 2026, which will run for 13 weeks before the schools close for the April holiday on April 2, 2026.
The schools will, however, break for half term from February 25, 2026, to March 1, 2026.
The April holiday will last for three weeks from April 7, 2026, to April 24, 2026.
Schools will resume learning for the second term on April 27, 2026, which will run for fourteen weeks and end on July 31, 2026. In between, there will be a 5-day half-term from June 24, 2026 to June 28, 2026.
The learners will then break for the second term holiday for three weeks from August 3, 2026, to August 21, 2026.
The third term will commence on August 24, 2026, and close on October 23, 2026, after nine weeks of learning.
The schools will then close to allow the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA), Kenya Intermediate Level Education Assessment (KILEA), Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA), Kenya Pre-Vocational Level Education Assessment (KPLEA), and the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations.
PS Bitok noted that the KPSEA exams will be conducted for 4 days from October 26, 2026, to October 29, 2026. The KILEA exams will begin on October 26 and end on October 30, 2026.
The KJSEA and KPLEA will also begin on October 26 and run for seven days until November 5, 2026.
On the other hand, KCSE exams will take place over three weeks from November 2, 2026, to November 20, 2026.
The December holidays will run for 10 weeks beginning on October 26 and ending on January 1, 2027.
Meanwhile, Diploma training colleges will begin their 2026 academic year on January 6, 2026, with the first term running for 13 weeks until April 2, 2026. They will then proceed to a 3-week holiday.
The second term will run from April 27, 2026, to July 31, 2026, while the third term will begin on August 24, 2026, and end on November 6, 2026.
Their December holiday starts on November 9, 2026, and will last for 8 weeks until January 1, 2027.
PS Bitok directed regional and county directors of education to distribute the 2026 academic calendar term dates to basic education institutions in their jurisdiction.
The Basic Education PS further said activities and visits to secondary schools in the third term will remain prohibited in 2026.
“Activities and visits to secondary schools in the third term of 2026 remain banned as per the earlier circulars,” PS Bitok added.
The circular comes ahead of the end of the third term of the 2025 academic year.
Basic education institutions are set to close from 24th October 2025 after learning for nine weeks.
Learners will proceed to a 10-week December holiday running until January 5, 2026.
KPSEA exams will run from 27th to 30th October 2025, while KILEA will commence on 27th and end on 31st of October 2025.
KJSEA and KPLEA will begin on 27th October and run through to 6th November 2025, while KCSE will start on 3rd November and end on 21st November 2025.
