The Kenyan Senate has rejected a Ministry of Education plan to merge Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) teacher training with primary teacher education, warning it threatens devolution and early learning in counties. Senators contend the directive, issued via an administrative circular, infringes upon constitutional lines by centralizing control over ECDE teacher training, which is a devolved function.

• The Ministry's proposal aimed to combine the Diploma in Early Childhood Teacher Education (DECTE) and the Diploma in Primary Teacher Education (DPTE) into a single qualification: the Diploma in Teacher Education – Pre-Primary and Primary (DTE PP & P).
• Senator Betty Montet, chairperson of the Senate Education Committee, emphasized that any changes impacting ECDE must involve counties and the public, stating policy decisions cannot be imposed from Nairobi without consultation.
• Kericho Governor Dr Eric Kipkoech Mutai, representing the Council of Governors, confirmed that counties were not consulted and warned the merger could disrupt county education systems and strain budgets, rolling back gains in early childhood education since devolution.