This paper examines the current status of basic education in Kenya. First, a review of the progress made in expanding access to both primary and secondary education is made, and the access gains are evaluated against the poor quality and the persistent inequalities. Specifically, it is argued that measurement of quality in education must supersede inputs to education, to consider the learning outcomes at every level. In analysing inequality, the variables geographic regions, socio-economic status of households, gender and school type (public and private) are considered. The paper further examines evidence on what works in improving education, and the priorities set for education in Kenya after 2015 are described. Conclusion is made that while progress is being made, there is little attention to adopting interventions that have shown promise to improving learning. A call is made to align the national priorities to the rich body of evidence, while paying attention to sustaining the current donor-driven initiatives for improving education.

Keywords
Kenya Education, Education Access, Education Quality; Education Equity