The transition of Kenya’s first Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) cohort – now often called Competency-Based Education (CBE) – into Grade 10 in January 2026 marked a pivotal milestone in the country’s education reform. This shift introduced pathway-based learning in Senior Secondary, with students choosing from STEM, Social Sciences, or Arts and Sports Science streams. The vision promises practical, skills-oriented education aligned with 21st-century demands, moving away from rote memorization toward competencies that prepare learners for careers, entrepreneurship, and lifelong learning.
However, as of mid-February 2026, the rollout has encountered substantial obstacles. Reports from educators, parents, media, and education analysts paint a picture of chaos in many schools, with low initial enrollment in some regions, delayed effective teaching, and widespread frustration. While the government has made strides in placement and partial resource allocation, systemic gaps threaten to undermine the CBC’s equity and quality goals.
One of the most pressing issues is inadequate infrastructure and specialized facilities. CBC at Grade 10 demands hands-on, pathway-specific resources: well-equipped laboratories for STEM, workshops for technical subjects, art studios, and sports facilities. Yet, thousands of schools remain unprepared. For instance, at least 1,600 public secondary schools lack functional laboratories, severely limiting practical learning in science-heavy pathways. In rural and arid/semi-arid lands (ASAL) areas, basic classrooms are stretched thin, while urban schools face overcrowding from uneven enrollment. The government’s plan to construct over 2,600 new labs has progressed slowly, with only partial deliveries reported. This infrastructure deficit not only hampers competency development but also exacerbates regional inequalities, contradicting CBC’s aim of inclusive access.
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Compounding this is a critical teacher shortage and insufficient specialized training. Estimates indicate a need for around 58,000 additional teachers to handle the specialized demands of Senior Secondary—35,000 for STEM alone, plus thousands more for Social Sciences and Arts pathways. Many existing teachers lack ongoing, practical training in CBC pedagogy, continuous assessment, project-based learning, and pathway-specific content. One-off workshops have proven inadequate, leaving educators overwhelmed and resorting to familiar 8-4-4 methods. This skills gap affects lesson delivery, assessment consistency, and learner support, particularly in under-resourced schools where teacher-pupil ratios remain high.
Learning materials represent another major bottleneck. Textbook shortages have been acute, with public school Grade 10 learners starting classes without approved books in many subjects. Publishers delayed printing due to billions of shillings (around Sh11 billion) in unpaid debts for prior grades, forcing reliance on old textbooks, teacher notes, or improvised resources. While the government ordered millions of copies across 35 learning areas, distribution lagged, with some schools still waiting weeks into the term. This delay disrupts the competency focus, as CBC emphasizes learner-centered materials for exploration and application rather than lecture-based teaching.
Financial barriers for parents have further complicated enrollment and retention. Although public senior secondary tuition is government-funded, families face significant hidden costs: uniforms (often expensive and mandatory), boarding or day scholar fees, lunch programs (up to KSh 3,000 per term in some cases), transport, and project materials. Surveys show high dissatisfaction, with 39% citing overall schooling costs and 13% struggling with fee payments. Reports indicate hundreds of thousands of learners (initially up to 800,000) failed to report promptly, especially from low-income households, leading to low turnout in certain counties and over-enrollment elsewhere. This uneven distribution strains resources and raises equity concerns, with girls and marginalized groups particularly vulnerable.
The placement process itself added to the turmoil. National digital placement combined Kenya Junior Secondary Education Assessment (KJSEA) results, school-based assessments, pathway choices, and infrastructure capacity. However, it faced allegations of errors, rejected appeals, misplacements, and confusion, contributing to delayed starts and low initial reporting rates (sometimes as low as 30% in early weeks in affected areas). While enrollment has improved in some regions (e.g., Narok at 70%), nearly 30% of public secondary schools grapple with under-enrollment below viable levels, wasting resources and complicating teacher allocation.
Parental confusion persists as a cross-cutting challenge. Many families still struggle to understand pathways, subject clusters, progression criteria, continuous assessment, and home support roles. Inconsistent assessment practices across schools heighten uncertainty about grading and future opportunities.
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Broader systemic issues include foundational gaps from earlier CBC grades and policy inconsistencies. Overloaded content in Junior Secondary has left some learners ill-prepared for Senior School rigor, while rapid rollout without sufficient piloting has amplified problems.
Despite these hurdles, the CBC vision remains promising if addressed decisively. Urgent fixes include accelerating teacher recruitment and retooling, clearing publisher debts for full textbook delivery, investing in labs and workshops (prioritizing underserved areas), subsidizing parental costs more comprehensively, and launching robust awareness campaigns. The Ministry of Education has confirmed progress in enrollment stabilization and assessment planning, but stakeholders emphasize that without swift, coordinated intervention, Grade 10’s rocky start risks derailing the entire reform.
In summary, while Kenya’s shift to competency-based senior secondary education holds transformative potential, its current implementation at Grade 10 is hampered by chronic under-preparation in infrastructure, human resources, materials, financing and stakeholder alignment. Rescuing this phase requires not just incremental fixes but a renewed commitment to equity, planning and execution to ensure the pioneer cohort – and future ones – reap the intended benefits.
By Ashford Kimani
Ashford teaches English and Literature in Gatundu North Sub-county and serves as Dean of Studies.
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