Makini Schools Owner Posts Sh545 Million Profit in Kenya
The owner of Makini Schools recorded a 60.7 per cent increase in net profit in Kenya in the year ended December 2025, driven by rising student enrolment and growing demand for the premium-priced Cambridge International curriculum.
According to the latest annual report by South African education multinational ADvTECH, its Kenyan operations posted a net profit of 68.6 million rand (Sh545.4 million) in 2025, up from 42.7 million rand (Sh339.5 million) recorded the previous year.
The company reported a pre-tax profit of 99.4 million rand (Sh790.2 million) during the period. After accounting for tax expenses of 30.8 million rand (Sh244.9 million), the group retained 68.6 million rand in net earnings.
In 2024, ADvTECH recorded a pre-tax profit of 69.3 million rand (Sh550.9 million), with tax expenses of 26.6 million rand (Sh211.5 million), resulting in a net profit of 42.7 million rand.
The education group attributed the strong growth to increasing demand for international education, particularly the Cambridge International curriculum, which continues to attract parents seeking alternatives to the national education system.
“Our premium-priced Cambridge International curriculum continues to grow in Kenya, with parents increasingly choosing it over the national syllabus. This is having a positive impact on the overall financial performance of the Makini brand,” the company said in its disclosures.
ADvTECH’s Kenyan education portfolio comprises Makini Schools, Crawford International School and the recently acquired Regis Runda Academy, which has since been rebranded under the Makini Schools brand.
By the end of 2025, Makini Schools had enrolled 6,140 students across its campuses, while Crawford International School had 900 learners.
The company also contributed significantly to government revenue through taxes, paying 28.2 million rand (Sh224.2 million) in Pay As You Earn (PAYE) deductions and an additional 600,000 rand (Sh4.8 million) in property rates and taxes.
ADvTECH entered the Kenyan market in 2018 through the acquisition of Makini Schools and has since expanded its footprint through acquisitions and investments in new facilities.
Last year, the group completed the acquisition of Regis Runda Academy in Nairobi for approximately 172 million rand (about Sh1.2 billion), one of the largest transactions in Kenya’s private education sector. The school, previously owned by Peter Burugu and Mary Burugu, has a capacity of 2,000 students and now operates as Makini School Runda.
The company identifies Kenya as one of its key growth markets alongside South Africa, Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana and Mauritius.
ADvTECH is also preparing to enter Kenya’s higher education sector through its Rosebank University brand, a move expected to intensify competition among private universities, including Daystar University, United States International University-Africa and Strathmore University.
The group said it completed the expansion of Crawford International School in September 2025, increasing the institution’s capacity from 900 to 1,300 students in response to growing demand.
“Driven by strong market demand, a further expansion of Crawford International School in Kenya was completed in September 2025, increasing student capacity from 900 to 1,300 students,” the company said.
Makini Schools currently offers both the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) and the Cambridge International Curriculum across nine campuses in Nairobi and Kisumu, while Crawford exclusively offers the Cambridge curriculum.
School fees at Makini vary depending on grade level, campus and curriculum, with annual tuition ranging between approximately Sh270,000 and Sh440,000. At Crawford International School, annual tuition fees range from about Sh550,000 to Sh1.6 million depending on the learner’s grade.
ADvTECH noted that demand for private education in Kenya continues to be driven by middle-income and affluent households, as well as a sizeable expatriate community comprising staff of foreign embassies, multinational corporations and international agencies.
“Our international schools operation is further enhanced by the alignment of these mid-fee schools under one brand,” the company said.