The Kenyan government has announced a nationwide promotion exercise for thousands of teachers, allocating Ksh1 billion for the initiative. This comes as many educators have remained in the same job groups for years, with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) set to prioritize those most affected.

• Promotions will benefit thousands of teachers, with Ksh1 billion allocated for the exercise.
• The Principal Secretary for Education, Julius Bitok, announced the promotion drive, which will be spearheaded by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).
• Additionally, the government plans to enroll all teachers under the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) plan and will construct 1,600 science laboratories in junior secondary schools.

The Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) has offered a significant 80 percent waiver on accrued penalties for student loan defaulters who pay their outstanding arrears in full. This relief aims to encourage repayment and sustain the board's funding for future students.

• HELB announced the 80 percent waiver on Tuesday, August 5, accessible via USSD code *642#, the HELB mobile app, or the HELB portal.
• Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba confirmed that HELB will disburse loans for first-year students on Friday, August 15.
• The government will increase HELB's allocation from Ksh36 billion to Ksh41 billion, with Ksh13 billion for tuition and Ksh16.9 billion for scholarships.

Education Cabinet Secretary Migos Ogamba has issued a directive for all schools to re-register through the new Kenya Education Management Information System (KEMIS) to combat the issue of "ghost schools" and ensure transparency in fund allocation. This initiative aims to streamline data and prevent fraud after concerns were raised about Ksh1.3 billion in infrastructure funds being diverted to non-existent institutions.

• All schools must re-register on KEMIS, an updated version of NEMIS, to provide clean data on school locations, student numbers, and teachers.
• CS Ogamba stated that running ghost schools is an offense, and a team is working with the Auditor General to address such cases.
• The directive follows revelations that part of a Ksh1.3 billion school infrastructure fund was channeled to ghost institutions.
• Additionally, CS Ogamba mentioned a recent reduction in university fees by between 15 percent and 30 percent.