- Kenya’s universities must undergo wholesale preparation, covering lecturer retraining, infrastructure and curricula, before the 2029 CBE intake arrives.
- There must be a shift from high-stakes written examinations toward projects, portfolios, internships and workplace-based assessment to measure genuine competence.
- The government is urged to conduct and publish national readiness audits of universities, ensuring intake reflects institutional capacity rather than political pressure.
Kenya has announced another education transition. Fine. But before the country celebrates the 2029 Competency-Based Education intake in universities, it must confront an uncomfortable question: Are our universities ready, or are we simply moving students from one unfinished experiment to another?
The transition to Competency-Based Education is not a change of textbooks, timetables or examination papers. It is a complete re-engineering of how Kenya identifies talent, teaches skills, assesses competence and prepares young people for work and citizenship. Anything less is cosmetic reform. The proposed 2029 university intake should therefore be treated as a national preparedness test, not another administrative deadline, and preparedness must be wholesale and holistic.
The first test is human resources. Kenya cannot build a competency-based university system with lecturers trained for a content-heavy, lecture-and-examination model. Universities need educators who can coach, mentor, assess practical competence, use technology and connect classroom learning to real-world problems. The question is not how many lecturers Kenya has, but whether they are prepared for the job. Government and universities must begin serious retraining, recruitment and motivation now, since lecturers cannot be expected to reinvent themselves while facing overcrowded classrooms, inadequate laboratories, stagnant resources and growing administrative burdens. Pay, professional development, promotion and research incentives matter, because a demoralised lecturer cannot produce an inspired graduate.
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Second, the structure must match the ambition. CBE demands laboratories, workshops, studios, digital infrastructure, libraries, innovation spaces, career centres and strong industry partnerships. A university cannot claim to produce competent engineers, scientists, health professionals, artisans, entrepreneurs or digital specialists while students spend four years mainly listening to lectures. A PowerPoint presentation is not a laboratory. A certificate is not competence. Universities must audit infrastructure institution by institution, and where facilities are inadequate, intake should reflect capacity rather than political pressure. Kenya must stop the dangerous habit of expanding enrolment first and asking about quality later.
Third, curricula must be revised ruthlessly. The 2029 cohort will enter a world of artificial intelligence, automation, climate disruption, biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, cyber risks and rapidly changing labour markets, and what worked for the economy of 2005 cannot automatically prepare a graduate for 2035. Universities should work with employers, professional bodies, innovators and industry to identify the competencies graduates will actually need, teaching not just knowledge but problem-solving, communication, collaboration, digital literacy, creativity, ethics, entrepreneurship and practical application. Kenya should also stop pretending that every young person must follow the same academic highway, since competence has many forms. Technical and vocational pathways should not be treated as second-class destinations for students who failed to secure university places — a skilled technician who can build, repair, manufacture or programme is not less valuable than a graduate carrying a prestigious degree.
Fourth, assessment must change. If CBE ends with the same obsession with high-stakes written examinations, Kenya will have changed the packaging while preserving the disease. Students must demonstrate what they can actually do, with projects, portfolios, simulations, practical demonstrations, internships and workplace-based assessment becoming meaningful parts of university education. But assessment must also be credible — continuous assessment cannot become continuous favouritism, and Kenya needs trained assessors, moderation, transparent standards and mechanisms against academic dishonesty.
Fifth, industry must be brought inside the classroom. Universities cannot keep producing graduates and then blaming employers for rejecting them. Industry should help design programmes, provide equipment, offer internships, mentor students and participate in assessment, since employers know where the skills gaps are, and government should listen.
The sixth test is practicality. Before 2029, Kenya should conduct national readiness audits, publicly. Which universities have the lecturers? Which have laboratories? Which have digital capacity? Which have industry partnerships? Which have adequate student support? Which can assess competence reliably? Publish the answers — no university should be allowed to hide behind glossy brochures.
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Finally, government must establish a clear transition framework with timelines, funding responsibilities, quality benchmarks and accountability. Ministries, regulators, universities and schools cannot work in separate silos, and parents and students deserve honest information. If a university is not ready, say so. If a programme is weak, fix it. If an institution lacks capacity, do not assume otherwise for political convenience — honestly equip universities and motivate lecturers instead.
Kenya has an opportunity to make the 2029 intake a turning point, but CBE will succeed only if the country treats preparedness as seriously as the reform itself. Train the trainers. Rebuild the infrastructure. Rewrite the curricula. Reform assessment. Bring industry in. Audit readiness. Fund the transition. Publish the results. Most importantly, stop measuring education by how many certificates Kenya produces — measure it by what those certificate holders can actually do. The 2029 university student should not graduate merely knowing how to pass an examination. They should graduate knowing how to solve a problem. That is the competence Kenya cannot afford to postpone.
By Yabesh Onwonga
Reach us at: editor@educationnews.co.ke
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