As the opening of schools on January 6th draws near, bookshops across the country are facing significant challenges in meeting the demand for CBC-approved textbooks.
With less than a month to go, many bookshops are still partially stocked, having only received a fraction of the expected deliveries.
This shortage has left many parents frustrated and uncertain about securing the necessary books for their children.
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Despite the government’s assurance that textbooks would be available by December 15th, many publishers, including the Kenya Literature Bureau (KLB), have yet to fulfill their commitments.
A local bookshop owner shared, “The books we still have are a problem. It seems KLB is the one that has not released all the books yet. Only a few have been delivered, and we are still waiting for the rest.”
The delay in receiving the required textbooks is causing a backlog. Bookshop owners are worried about being fully prepared before schools reopen.
One business owner mentioned, “If the books had come earlier, we would have been busy preparing for the school opening. But now, with the shortage, it’s been challenging to manage.”
Grade 4 textbooks have been delivered in large quantities, but books for lower grades such as Grade 1, 2, and 3 remain in short supply.
Another shopkeeper explained, “For Grade 1 and 2, we don’t even have more than five copies. It’s a huge problem.” While some publishers, like Oxford, have made deliveries, they have not sent all the required books.
The situation is especially challenging for parents who are unable to find enough copies of the CBC-approved textbooks needed for their children’s education.
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