Verification exercise seeks to confirm every Grade 10 learner has a textbook for each subject.
The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) has directed school heads to submit data on the number of Grade 10 textbooks received by their institutions against the number of learners enrolled in each subject.
In a communication to schools, KICD said the first phase of textbook distribution has been completed and the verification exercise will help reconcile school enrolment figures with the data provided by the Ministry of Education and used during the distribution process.
The institute said it distributed one textbook per learner for every subject and wants schools to confirm that the targeted 1:1 textbook-to-learner ratio has been achieved.
Schools have until June 19 to submit the verification data through KICD's official communication channels.
The verification follows the rollout of the phase of the Grade 10 textbook distribution programme, which was extended in mid-February after some schools reported higher-than-expected student enrolment.
Speaking on February 16, KICD chief executive officer Charles Ong'ondo attributed the surge to student transfers and pathway changes, which created discrepancies between official enrolment figures submitted to the Ministry of Education and the actual numbers on the ground.
"We are creating a link that all the principals will have access to so that they can now give us their final admission status including the numbers of learners in particular pathways and particular subjects. Once we get those firm numbers, then, we shall get into a second round of distribution," Ong'ondo said.
He urged school heads to promptly report any shortages to enable the institute to address them.
"If any institution has not received any books in a particular pathway that they are offering, let KICD get that information as quickly as possible then we shall be able to address that gap," he said.
Schools have been directed to submit verification data via email at [email protected] or by phone through 0733 762 412.
Schools that had already submitted the data need not re-submit.
By February 15, the Ministry of Education said more than 8.4 million Grade 10 textbooks had been distributed to public senior schools across the country during the first phase of the exercise to support learning under the Competency-Based Education (CBE) system.
The figure represented about 70 per cent of the total textbooks earmarked for distribution, with the ministry assuring schools that the remaining consignment would be delivered by the end of February.
The assurance came amid growing concern that some Grade 10 learners pursuing the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) pathway had not received textbooks more than a month after transitioning to senior school.
Some teachers complained of textbook shortages and a lack of clear communication on the way forward, with several schools resorting to digital learning materials.
"We have not started doing serious teaching until we receive these books because you need the books to give out class work and learning activities," a teacher from Nakuru county said at the time.
In January, the government disbursed Sh5.64 billion to publishers out of the Sh11.4 billion owed for the printing and distribution of textbooks ahead of the 2026 school calendar.
