Makini Schools’ parent company, Advtech Group, has posted a strong financial performance for the year ended December 31, 2025.
According to its audited financial results, the group, which owns Makini Schools, Crawford International, and Rosebank College, reported an operating profit of R2.04 billion (Sh15.39 billion).
The performance, which is the first of its kind in the group’s history, was supported by increased enrolment demand, improved operating efficiencies, and continued expansion in key markets, including Kenya.
“These were achieved through healthy enrolment growth, moderate fee increases, improved debtor control and continued margin improvement,” the financial statement reads in part.
“The group continues to strengthen its competitive advantage through ongoing investment in superior technology to enhance teaching and learning, further cementing our position as the leading provider of private education on the African continent,” it adds.
Advtech said revenue grew by 10 percent in 2025 to R9 330 million (Sh2.58 billion), while operating profit rose by 14 percent.
The group’s Education division, which contributes 84 percent of total revenue, remained the primary engine of growth, with a 13 percent increase in revenue.
The operating margin in the division improved to 21.8 percent, up from 21.0 percent, as the company benefited from scale leverage and efficiency gains.
These improvements helped offset costs related to investments in AI-enhanced learning tools and global benchmarking systems, which Advtech says are aimed at strengthening the quality of learning outcomes.
Advtech’s strongest segmental performance came from its Rest of Africa schools segment, with revenue surging 28 percent to R574.1 million (Sh4.36 billion), while operating profit increased by 33 percent to R193.6 million (Sh1.47 billion).
This segment also recorded the highest operating margin in the group at 33.7 percent, up from 32.4 percent, signalling improved cost control and strong demand for its premium offerings.
The group disclosed that students under its Cambridge International Curriculum delivered impressive results, achieving 716 distinctions, translating to an average of 1.3 distinctions per student.
High demand for Cambridge Curriculum
The company attributed much of the growth in Kenya to an increasing preference among parents for international education pathways, particularly the Cambridge International Curriculum.
“Our premium-priced Makini Cambridge International curriculum continues to experience high demand, with parents increasingly choosing it over the Kenyan national syllabus. This is having a positive impact on the overall financial performance of the Makini brand,” It noted.
“Driven by continued demand, the next phase of Crawford International School in Kenya was completed in September 2025, increasing student capacity from 900 to 1,300 students,” it added.
Makini Schools, started in 1978, was founded by the late Pius Okello and his Wife, Mary Okello. The school, which previously operated under the name Riara Gardens Academy, was acquired by the ADvTECH Group in 2018 in a deal estimated to be worth Sh1 billion.
ADvTECH Group, a private education provider and a Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE)-listed company specializing in schools, has continued on its expansion strategy in Kenya with the acquisition of more schools under its management portfolio.
In September 2025, the company acquired Regis Runda Academy in Nairobi from Peter and Mary Burugu in a deal estimated to be worth over Sh1.2 billion and rebranded it as Makini School Runda.
Since the acquisition, enrolments have risen by 17 percent to nearly 1,400 students against a built capacity of 2,000.
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