The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) will next week sponsor a series of county dialogues on Competency Based Education (CBE), targeting at least 360 parents across six counties in what officials describe as a critical push to deepen parental understanding of the new curriculum.
The forums, scheduled for May 5 to 8, 2026, will be held simultaneously in Migori, Nandi, Baringo, Bomet, Machakos and Taita Taveta counties, each hosting 60 parents drawn through the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and Parents Association (PA) structures.
The initiative follows a request by the National Parents Association (NPA) chairperson for sponsorship and partnership in parental engagement and empowerment.
In a letter, KICD Director and Chief Executive Officer Prof. Charles Ong’ondo confirmed the institute’s acceptance of the request, saying the forums would be conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Education (MoE).
“The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, is pleased to accept your request and will sponsor the proposed sensitization forums to disseminate the CBE Senior School guidelines and general parental engagement and empowerment,” Prof. Ong’ondo stated in the letter.
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The dialogues form Phase 4 of an ongoing national outreach programme, with each county selecting a specific venue. Migori County will host its session at Migori Boys, Nandi at Kapsabet Girls, Baringo at Kabarnet Rehabilitation Centre, Bomet at St. Mary’s Girls, Machakos at People’s Park, and Taita Taveta at Kenyatta High School in Mwatate.
Beyond the sixty parents per county, the fora will also bring together fifteen other stakeholders at each venue. These include County Directors from both the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and MoE, the chair of the County Education Board, the county commissioner or a representative, and representatives from the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), and the Kenya Primary Schools Heads Association (KEPSHA). Faith based organizations, curriculum support officers handling both regular and special needs learners, and sub county directors will also attend.
The NPA has been directed to mobilize participants for the forums in liaison with County Education Offices.
The move comes as KICD intensifies efforts to bring parents on board with the CBC rollout, particularly following the transition of Kenya’s pioneer CBC cohort into Grade 10 Senior School in January 2026.
The institute has been grappling with challenges in the rollout, including mismatches in Grade 10 textbook distribution that left some schools with excess copies while others received insufficient quantities.
NPA Chairman Silas Obuhatsa had earlier flagged that many parents remained uninformed about what CBC entailed, urging the government to step up sensitization efforts.
The county forums are part of KICD’s response to that concern, providing parents with firsthand information on the CBE Senior School guidelines through the PTA and PA structures.
By Benedict Aoya
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