On 4- 5 June, we participated in a two-day workshop convened by EACHRights and FAWE-Kenya. This workshop was held in preparation for the upcoming 4th cycle review of Kenya under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). EACHRights serves as the Secretariat of the Kenya Stakeholders Coalition on the UPR (UPR Kenya). 

The workshop's main objective was to bring together the Nairobi education cluster for the UPR and draft concerns and recommendations on implementing the right to education in Kenya. These concerns and recommendations from the Nairobi cluster will be harmonised with those from the Western and Coastal region clusters, all contributing to the UPR Kenya education submission.

They will then be integrated into the broader national submission by CSOs focused on human rights in Kenya. 

During the meeting, concerns were raised about the quality of education in Kenya, looking at the challenges in implementing the new education curriculum, the teacher-to-learner ratio, the safety of students in schools, and overall education financing, and recommendations were given on the same.

Regarding education financing, which impacts all the concerns shared, one of the critical recommendations was for the government to ensure that the budget allocation for education from national revenue provides sufficient resources to guarantee the full realisation of the right to education across all Ministry of Education departments.

They also emphasised the need for robust monitoring and accountability mechanisms to oversee fund utilisation. This is crucial because, despite education receiving a significant portion of the national revenue, several sectors still need to be funded due to mismanagement of funds, corruption, and lack of accountability. 

Our participation in this drafting session aligns with our commitment to calling for quality public education and sustainable financing for it, reinforcing our commitment to public education standards. The recommendation report will be submitted on 15 August, and Kenya will be reviewed during the 49th Session of the HRC in 2025. 

The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a peer review mechanism of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) that examines the human rights performance of all United Nations member states once every four and a half years.