The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) has released a list of approved curriculum support materials for Grade 10, a major step that signals readiness to roll out Senior School under the Competency-Based Education (CBE) system next year.
The newly approved textbooks and teachers’ guides, published as an addendum to the Orange Book, come at a time when the country is preparing to open Senior School as the next destination for learners completing Junior School. From 2026, Senior School will run for three years—Grade 10, Grade 11 and Grade 12—serving as the final level of basic education before learners progress to tertiary institutions, university, or career-focused training.
In many ways, the release of these books makes the idea of Senior School tangible, giving schools, teachers and parents a clearer picture of what learning will look like in the next phase.
Senior School is designed to provide learners with a pre-tertiary and pre-career experience where they can begin to specialise based on their demonstrated strengths, interests and aspirations. Unlike the former system that heavily relied on a single high-stakes examination and national ranking, the CBE approach emphasises growth over time, practical competence, and purposeful progression.
At the Senior School level, learning is expected to be more aligned to career direction, with guidance playing a stronger role in helping learners make appropriate subject and pathway choices.
Below is the list of approved books
Approved Books for Senior School
The Grade 10 materials released by KICD cover the whole structure of Senior School subjects, including the core learning areas every learner must take, as well as a wide range of elective subjects that reflect different pathways.
At this level, learners will study seven learning areas. Four are compulsory: English, Kiswahili (or Kenyan Sign Language), Mathematics and Community Service Learning.
Mathematics will be offered in two forms: Core Mathematics for learners pursuing STEM-oriented tracks and Essential Mathematics for learners who need more utilitarian skills for non-STEM pathways. Alongside the core learning areas, learners will choose three elective subjects guided by their career interests, aptitude and long-term goals.
The approved materials demonstrate the breadth of the Senior School curriculum. In the sciences and STEM-related areas, the books cover subjects such as Biology, Chemistry, Physics, General Science, Agriculture and Computer Studies, alongside applied and technical disciplines that include Aviation, Building Construction, Electricity, Metalwork, Power Mechanics, Wood Technology, Media Technology, Marine and Fisheries Technology and Home Science.
In the Social Sciences pathway, the curriculum includes learning areas such as History and Citizenship, Geography, Business Studies and a robust languages component with Literature in English, Fasihi ya Kiswahili, Indigenous Languages, Sign Language, and foreign languages including Arabic, French, German and Mandarin Chinese.
The Arts and Sports Science pathway is also strongly represented in books on Music and Dance, Theatre and Film, Fine Arts, Sports and Recreation, and Physical Education.
Each subject has been supported with both learner textbooks and teacher guides, underlining the shift from content coverage to competency development.
The availability of teacher guides is particularly significant because the Senior School model demands a different teaching style—one that uses practical tasks, projects, performance-based assessments, real-world problem solving and continuous feedback rather than memorisation for terminal examinations.
The release of Grade 10 learning materials comes at a time when the country prepares for a historic transition from Junior School to Senior School, guided by the Kenya Junior School Evaluation Assessment (KJSEA) released last week.
Under CBE, placement is expected to emphasise readiness and pathway alignment rather than the old culture of public ranking.
For many parents and learners, the shift has been accompanied by questions and anxiety. However, the publication of Senior School books helps clarify what the next stage will entail and what schools must prepare to deliver.
By Joseph Mambili
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