Makini Schools has grown to over 6,000 students across seven Kenyan campuses, making Kenya the largest international market for JSE-listed parent company Advtech, Regional Managing Director Horace Mpanza told The Kenyan Wall Street.
- •Schools outside South Africa now contribute approximately 6% of group revenue, Mpanza disclosed, a figure he intends to push into double digits.
- •Advtech reported record results for the year ended 31 December 2025, with operating profit crossing R2 billion (KSh 15.39 Bn) for the first time on revenue of R9.33 billion (KSh 70.44 Bn).
- •The Rest of Africa schools segment delivered 28% revenue growth with a 33.7% operating margin, the highest of any division.
"If you combine Makini and Crawford, yes, Kenya is our strongest from a schools perspective," he said, adding that Makini on a standalone basis is not yet the largest contributor by revenue given its mid-fee positioning, "but I think in the short term, certainly going to get there."
Expansion on Three Fronts
Advtech acquired Regis Runda Academy in Nairobi from the Burugu family for R171.2 million (KSh 1.29 Bn) in September 2025, rebranding it as Makini School Runda. Enrolments have since climbed 17% to nearly 1,400 against ultimate capacity of 3,000. Mpanza said the surge reflected what parents expected from the Makini name.
"If you think of a doctor who is always fully booked, you anticipate that is a pretty good doctor. That's what we're seeing with demand for our institutions."
The group has begun upgrading the Runda campus with new computer labs, Wi-Fi infrastructure and AI-powered learning tools, and will introduce the Cambridge International curriculum at the site in 2026.
Separately, Makini Statehouse, a campus on a prime Nairobi location that was scheduled to close at the end of 2026, has been rescued through a new long-term lease and a R39 million (KSh 294.5 Mn) expansion to more than double capacity to 575 students. Mpanza recalled the difficult period before the deal was secured.
"I remember getting calls from the acting principal saying, is there anything we can do? We had to keep sending parents away. It was a very tough time."
Cambridge Demand Reshaping the Offering
Across Makini's schools, Cambridge enrolments have grown from 185 students when the programme launched in September 2020 to over 1,300 today. Mpanza attributed the demand to parents seeking internationally portable qualifications and, for some, concerns about CBC implementation.
"You have parents who feel there are too many moving parts," he said, before adding that Makini supports both curricula. As educators, we can tell you the CBC curriculum is a move in the right direction. If people give it an opportunity, they'll see a lot of value."
He also added that Makini parents who can afford Crawford still choose Makini for its history, traditional values and aspirational positioning, while Crawford parents choose Crawford for its premium ethos and facilities. "What you get at Makini at that price point, you'll never be able to get anywhere else. If you want to get that somewhere else, you have to pay more."
Crawford International, Advtech's premium Kenya brand operating exclusively on Cambridge, expanded capacity from 900 to 1,300 students last year. The school was recognised as a top academic school in Kenya at the Great Places to School awards. Asked whether a second Crawford campus is planned, Mpanza said: "We are not closed to that idea." On plans to bring Rosebank University to Kenya, he confirmed the groundwork is underway but said no timeline can be given until regulatory hurdles are resolved.
Technology, Affordability, and the Long View
Advtech's AI-powered platform ADvLEARN is now live across Makini's Kenyan schools after piloting in South Africa. After a full year of deployment, Mpanza said data from the Kisumu campus shows a clear correlation between usage and improved mathematics performance. "The students that utilize it more actually do better in maths than those who do not."
On affordability, MD Horace acknowledged that some families, particularly those in NGOs affected by the USAID funding withdrawal, have had to pull children from the school. He also insists that Makini maintains payment arrangements with hundreds of affected parents.
"A lot of parents will do whatever it takes to make sure that their children have better opportunities. Some will cut other things before they cut education."
Mpanza, who has spent 18 years at Advtech and six running the Kenya operation, sees the Makini brand eventually expanding beyond Kenya's borders and the school network operating at double its current capacity within a decade. Drawing a parallel with Asia's economic transformation, he said:
"If you look at the Asian tigers, the countries that reduced poverty dramatically, it was mainly driven by education. We hope to contribute to that."
