NACONEK is mandated in the Sixth Schedule of the Basic Education Act, 2013 to:
i) Initiate the development and review of policies on all matters relating to education in ASAL regions, PoPs and urban informal settlements of Kenya.

ii) Mobilise funds and other resources from various sources for the development of nomadic education in order to support relevant activities of the Council.

iii) Institutionalise mechanisms for effective coordination, monitoring, and evaluation of the activities of agencies involved in the provision of education in ASAL regions, PoPs, and urban informal settlements of Kenya.

iv) Implement guidelines and ensure geographical spread of education activities and targets for ASAL regions, PoPs, and urban informal settlements of Kenya.

v) Establish appropriate linkages and partnerships with other participating departments and agencies.

vi) Determine standards and skills to be attained in schools and institutions of
learning within ASAL regions, PoPs, and urban informal settlements of Kenya and review such standards from time to time.

vii) Prepare reliable statistics of the nomadic communities’ school-aged children and establish a data bank.

viii) Coordinate research activities on nomadic education in Kenya.