By KPC Reporter
Fresh details have emerged linking delays in the rollout of Grade 11 textbooks to a controversial escalation of evaluation and resubmission fees.
This has placed the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) and the Kenya Publishers Association (KPA) at the center of a growing industry storm.
Also Read
The developments come against the backdrop of a widely reported delay in textbook tendering, where publishers warned that holdups could disrupt the supply chain and leave learners without essential materials.
The Standard reports that, “fear is mounting over possible delays in the delivery of textbooks,” with concerns that learners could begin the academic year without the required books.
However, sources now suggest the delays may be compounded by deeper structural and financial concerns within the approval process itself.
An internal fee schedule disclosed to KPC shows that publishers are required to pay KSh 180,000 for course titles evaluated in December 2025, KSh 150,000 for reference materials, and KSh 80,000 for readers and storybooks.
More strikingly, resubmission of Grade 11 course books—whether previously failed or newly developed—now attracts a fee of KSh 380,000 per title, in addition to earlier submission costs estimated at around KSh 200,000.
“These charges have been escalated way above the original fees, and there’s no clear justification,” said one publisher familiar with the process.
“It’s becoming financially suffocating, especially for smaller publishers.”
The fee escalation comes at a critical point in the textbook approval cycle.
Evaluation results for Grade 11 materials were released only weeks ago, with some publishers opting to appeal decisions at a reported cost of about KSh 25,000 per appeal.
Yet before those appeals could be fully concluded, KICD issued a directive requiring the resubmission of corrected materials under a tight March 6, 2026 deadline.
“The notice was too short,” said another source.
“Publishers were still waiting for appeal outcomes, yet they were being pushed into a costly resubmission process. It felt rushed.”
Conflict of interest?
The situation has raised fresh questions about KICD’s dual role in the sector.
While the institute is mandated to set standards and approve learning materials, insiders argue that its involvement in procurement-related processes and its position as a potential “publisher of last resort” creates a conflict of interest.
“There is a clear overlap of roles,” said a source. “KICD is not just regulating; it is deeply embedded in the entire value chain. That raises legitimate concerns about fairness and transparency.”
Further scrutiny has been directed at the Kenya Publishers Association (KPA), which is reportedly collecting funds tied to the corrections and resubmission exercise.
Industry players are questioning how a lobby group representing publishers has become financially intertwined with a process linked to a government agency.
“How does a lobby group end up collecting these fees?” one insider posed.
“It creates the perception that the regulator and the industry are too closely aligned.”
However, according to The Standard KICD Director Charles Ong’ondo downplayed the delays, attributing them to procedural requirements and noting that the institute was awaiting a distribution list from the Ministry of Education before issuing award letters.
KPA, on the other hand, acknowledged that while evaluation was done and publishers were finalising corrections, delays in issuing award letters remained a major concern as they could disrupt the entire system.
