Kenya Schools Close Oct. 23: Holiday Dates and 2027 Terms
Kenya's third term ends on Friday, Oct. 23, 2026, and learners then go on a 10-week December holiday that runs to Jan. 1, 2027, under the Ministry of Education's 2026 academic calendar. The calendar is in a circular dated Oct. 9, 2025, signed by Principal Secretary Julius Bitok (Kenyans.co.ke, The Star), and the ministry circulated it again before Term 3 opened (Kenyans.co.ke, Aug. 1). The national assessments follow at once: KPSEA and KJSEA start on Monday, Oct. 26 and the KCSE written papers run from Nov. 2 to 20.
The 2027 dates are not out yet. Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said on June 10 that the current pattern, with a 14-week second term and a nine-week third term, will be rationalised to “12 weeks across the board” from the next academic year (Kenyans.co.ke). We found no 2027 circular when we checked on Oct. 15, so the Term 1 2027 opening date is not official. The 2026 calendar came out on Oct. 9, 2025, and this page will be updated when the 2027 one is published.
Kenya school calendar 2026: term dates
| Term or break | Dates in 2026 | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Term 1 | Mon. Jan. 5 to Thu. Apr. 2 | 13 weeks |
| Half-term, Term 1 | Feb. 25 to Mar. 1 | 5 days |
| April holiday | Apr. 7 to Apr. 24 | 3 weeks |
| Term 2 | Mon. Apr. 27 to Fri. Jul. 31 | 14 weeks |
| Half-term, Term 2 | Jun. 24 to Jun. 28 | 5 days |
| August holiday | Aug. 3 to Aug. 21 | 3 weeks |
| Term 3 | Mon. Aug. 24 to Fri. Oct. 23 | 9 weeks |
| December holiday | Mon. Oct. 26 to Fri. Jan. 1, 2027 | 10 weeks |
These dates are for pre-primary, primary, junior, senior and secondary schools, and the circular keeps the three-term structure for 2026 (Kenyans.co.ke). Term 1 opened on Monday, Jan. 5.
What happens after schools close
| Assessment | Ministry's calendar | KNEC's own timetable |
|---|---|---|
| KPSEA (Grade 6) | Oct. 26 to 29 | Oct. 26 to 28 |
| KJSEA (Grade 9) | Oct. 26 to Nov. 5, with KPLEA | Oct. 26 to 30 |
| KILEA | Oct. 26 to 30 | – |
| KCSE (Form 4) | Nov. 2 to 20 | Orals and practicals from Oct. 19, written papers Nov. 2 to 20 |
The ministry's calendar gives the windows for each assessment (Kenyans.co.ke), and the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) publishes the day-by-day timetables, which are shorter. See our pages on the KCSE timetable and the KPSEA and KJSEA timetables for the papers and times.
- Rehearsals: the KCSE rehearsal is on Friday, Oct. 16, and the KPSEA and KJSEA rehearsals are on Friday, Oct. 23, the day Term 3 ends, KNEC's timetable shows (The Star).
- Teacher training colleges: Term 3 runs to Fri. Nov. 6, and their holiday starts on Mon. Nov. 9 and ends on Jan. 1, 2027 (Kenyans.co.ke).
- School visits: activities and visits to secondary schools in the third term remain banned, the ministry's circular says (Kenyans.co.ke).
- Teachers' dispute: the teachers' union KUPPET has told members to boycott KNEC exam duties over pay, but no change to the exam dates had been reported by Oct. 14 (The Star).
What will change in 2027?
Ogamba said the 2026 calendar would stay as published, with the rationalisation applying to the next academic year, and that the aim is to make all terms about 12 weeks long and reduce learner fatigue (Kenyans.co.ke). He spoke while the ministry was dealing with unrest in secondary schools. As of Oct. 15 the opening date, the mid-term breaks and the closing dates for 2027 have not been announced, so any 2027 date table you see online is a guess until a ministry circular appears.
Where to check
- Term dates: circulars on the Ministry of Education website, and your school or county education office.
- Exam timetables: KNEC's timetables page.
Dates are from the Ministry of Education's 2026 academic calendar circular of Oct. 9, 2025, as reported by Kenyans.co.ke and The Star, and the Aug. 1, 2026 report that the third-term dates were confirmed. The 2027 information is from the Cabinet Secretary's remarks on June 10, 2026. We found no 2027 circular as of Oct. 15, 2026.
