In the Saturday Standard, Lawi Sultani Njeremani’s piece, “How KICD’s veil of secrecy undermines our education,” is written with passion, urgency, and rhetorical force. He rightly reminds readers that “Article 10 isn’t optional – it’s the bedrock of good governance.” On that principle, he deserves credit. Public institutions in Kenya, including the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), must withstand scrutiny.
But scrutiny is not the same thing as sensationalism.
Njeremani brands the KICD “a bastion of opacity flagrantly violating the spirit of our Constitution.” That is not mild criticism; it is a constitutional indictment. Yet nowhere does he present evidence of an actual breach of the Constitution. Strong language is deployed where strong proof is absent.
Calling an institution unconstitutional without demonstrating which legal provisions have been violated – and how – is not accountability. It is an accusation by assertion.
The article repeatedly equates confidentiality with corruption. Because evaluation panels are anonymous, we are invited to assume that favouritism is at play. Because detailed scoring sheets are not published publicly, we are urged to suspect graft. This is a dangerous leap. Confidential review processes are standard practice in publishing, academia, and professional accreditation precisely to shield evaluators from lobbying, intimidation and commercial pressure. If reviewer identities and comparative weaknesses of rejected books were publicly exposed, the publishing industry would quickly become a theatre of harassment and litigation.
Njeremani calls the approved list of textbooks a “superficial façade.” That is an easy phrase to write. It is much harder to acknowledge that curriculum vetting involves subject specialists, pedagogical experts and quality assurance officers operating under statutory mandate. To reduce a technical, multi-stage evaluation framework to a “façade” without presenting procedural evidence of malpractice is rhetorical overreach.
Even more troubling is the charge that KICD’s conduct amounts to “a deliberate betrayal of the nation’s trust.” Betrayal implies intent. It implies knowledge of wrongdoing. It implies conscious subversion of the public good. Such a claim requires more than frustration with delays or dissatisfaction with publishers. It requires proof.
Yes, the transition to Competency-Based Education has created anxiety. Yes, counterfeit Grade 10 materials in the market are alarming. But counterfeiting is a criminal enterprise. It implicates rogue traders and enforcement failures. To insinuate that KICD’s approval framework directly fuels criminal counterfeiting is to blur the line between regulatory procedure and market crime.
The article suggests that influential publishers may “sway outcomes behind closed doors.” If that is the allegation, then let it be taken to oversight agencies with evidence. Kenya has anti-corruption bodies, parliamentary committees and audit mechanisms. Public insinuation is not a substitute for due process.
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The Saturday Standard deserves recognition for publishing hard-hitting opinion pieces. Robust debate is healthy in a democracy. But there is a line between challenging institutions and eroding public trust in them without substantiation. When an education regulator is portrayed as tyrannical, corrupt and constitutionally delinquent – without documented proof – the casualties are not bureaucrats. The casualties are teachers, parents and learners whose confidence in reform is shaken.
None of this means KICD is above improvement. Communication can be clearer. Timelines can be tighter. Stakeholder engagement can be stronger. Institutional refinement is not a sign of weakness; it is a sign of maturity.
But let us be clear: disagreement with the process is not proof of corruption. Administrative opacity is not, in itself, a constitutional violation. And dissatisfaction from commercial publishers is not evidence of betrayal.
If we are serious about strengthening education, then let us move from dramatic declarations to documented claims. Let us replace suspicion with substantiation. Let us demand reform where necessary – but resist the temptation to delegitimise institutions through rhetoric alone.
Passion makes for compelling reading. Evidence makes for responsible leadership.
By Ashford Kimani
Ashford teaches English and Literature in Gatundu North Sub-county and serves as Dean of Studies.
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