Schools and learners preparing for the next phase of the Competency Based Education (CBE) can breathe a sigh of relief after publishers from the Kenya Literature Bureau (KLB) and Kenya Publishers’ Association announced that the distribution of grade 11 textbooks is expected to begin in September 2026.
Speaking during the launch of the Kenya Literature Bureau (KLB) plc strategic plan 2025–2030, KLB Managing Director George Okeyo said the books had moved beyond the production stage and were ready for dissemination to schools.
This comes at a time when the pioneer cohort of Grade 11 learners is expected to transition to Grade 12 in January 2027.
“To the Ministry of Education and curriculum regulators: our work is your work. The timely release of curriculum subject designs, the prompt evaluation of learning materials, and the collaborative development of digital content are essential to our ability to meet the targets in this Plan. We ask for continued partnership, and we commit to continued responsiveness,” said George Okeyo, Managing Director, KLB.
According to Okeyo, the fourth strategic plan, 2020–2024 of KLB, was delivered in one of the most turbulent operating environments due to the covid-19 pandemic which suppressed their sales.
But despite the challenges, KLB managed to grow revenue from KSh 1.5 billion in the financial year 2020/21 to KSh 3.4 billion in 2023/24, surpassing the set target of KSh 3.198 billion.
Additionally, 39.3 million copies of learning and teaching materials were supplied to government-run schools, generating cumulative revenue of KSh10.4 billion.
“This Plan does not stand alone. It is deliberately woven into Kenya’s Vision 2030, the Fourth Medium-Term Plan, the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, the Constitution of Kenya, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the African Union’s Agenda 2063, and the East African Community’s Vision 2050. When KLB grows, Kenya grows,” said George Okeyo.
“The Plan sets an ambitious but credible target: growing gross revenue from KSh. 12.5 billion to KSh. 14.5 billion by the financial year 2029/2030. It sets out a clear pathway to achieve this through diversification of revenue streams; expanding open market book sales; growing print sales revenue; mobilizing strategic partnerships; increasing investment income and entering new markets,” said Cyrell Odede Wagunda, PS- State Department for Public Investments and Asset Management.
Kenya Literature Bureau has signed MOUs with 37 county governments, yet only 20 have translated those MoU into business. ECDE centers and Tvets, have been urged to partner with KLB.
“We installed and integrated 15 new information systems, expanded our internal printing capacity with state-of-the-art press machines, published books for every new grade under the CBC and CBE frameworks, and were recertified on the Government’s e-Citizen portal. These are not small achievements. They are evidence of an institution that performs under pressure,” said George Okeyo.
According to Kenya Publishers Association chairman Musyoki Muli, publishers had now shifted their attention to the preparation of Grade 12 textbooks even as they await payment of pending bills owed by the government.
“What we are working on now right on the tables of editors is Grade 12. Grade 11 must be distributed from September because it takes around a month to print and package for every school in this country,” Muli said.
A total of 21 publishers were contracted to print and distribute seven million Grade 11 textbooks and literature set books by the end of the year.
