The Ministry of Education has dismissed reports circulating on social media claiming that schools will not reopen on August 24.
The ministry said the notice making rounds online is fake and asked parents, learners and teachers to ignore it.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, August 19, the State Department for Basic Education said there had been no change to the school calendar for the third term.
“FAKE NEWS ALERT: The post circulating on social media claiming that school opening has been postponed is FAKE,” the State Department said.
It added: “Parents, guardians, learners, teachers and the public are urged to ignore it. Term 3 begins on August 24 2026 as earlier communicated.”
The clarification comes just a few days before schools are expected to reopen, with many parents already making arrangements for the return of their children.
The fake notice claimed that Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba had directed that the reopening date be pushed to September 15 for senior schools and secondary schools.
The ministry said the claim did not come from its offices and urged the public to only rely on official communication when seeking information about the school calendar.
Under the 2026 school calendar, the third term will start on August 24 and run for nine weeks before schools close on October 23.
National examinations and assessments will then follow shortly after the end of the term.
The Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) is scheduled to start on October 26 and run until October 29.
The Kenya Intermediate Level Education Assessment (KILEA) and Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) are also scheduled to begin on October 26.
For learners sitting the Kenya Pre-Vocational Level Education Assessment (KPLEA), the examinations will start on November 2.
The Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations will also begin on November 2 and run until November 20.
The Ministry of Education has therefore maintained that there is no change to the August 24 reopening date and has asked parents and schools to continue preparing for the start of the third term as planned.
