Since pre-independence, the narrative of academic excellence in the country has been narrow, rigid and relentlessly pegged on scholarly brilliance.
Success smelled like fresh ink on national examination papers, standard uniforms and the solitary pursuit of white-collar professions like medicine, law or engineering. If a teenager could run a 100m dash in 10 seconds, display football talent with a home-made ball or paint a masterclass that evoked raw emotions, it was treated as a charming extracurricular footnote and never a main event.
However, the pioneer cohort of the Competency-Based Education (CBE) system is changing the narrative, albeit with teething problems facing its implementation.
Marking the historic opening of the senior schools, thousands of courageous learners across the country have stepped into a different kind of playing field. They are the pathfinders of the Arts and Sports Science Pathway. A radical departure from the 8-4-4 system that seeks to monetise talent, professionalise physical education and treat sports prowess and creativity not as a pastime, but as a legitimate science.
With sports being a fast-growing multi-billion-dollar industry and Kenya having cemented its status as an undisputed titan of global sport, professionalising and monetising talent was long overdue.
Upon placement of the Grade 10 learners, it was evident that the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) pathway was the most preferred by parents and learners, followed by the Social Sciences.
Nonetheless, thousands of learners took a bold step of faith to venture into the uncharted waters of sports science. A common misconception among parents and critics was that the Arts and Sports pathway was an easy way out for students struggling with academic rigor. Contrary to this fallacy, the Arts and Sports Science track introduces rigorous scientific disciplines. Students pursuing sports do not just play games but dive deep into anatomy and physiology, sports nutrition and biomechanics, and sports management, coaching, and psychology.
According to Edwin Adamba, a teacher of sports and handball coach at St Joseph’s Girls Senior School Kitale, the narrative is gradually changing as parents and learners embrace the pathway.
“We have 70 students in our sports and arts class, which is a good number to start with, considering that it’s a totally new field and most parents and learners don’t understand the countless lucrative opportunities it offers,” Ademba said.
He intimated that lack of infrastructure and unclear examinable guidelines for some sub-strands are major challenges.
“The course entails theory classes and more practical learning, but due to lack of proper equipment and infrastructure, we are unable to execute some practical lessons. A standard pool is key in teaching swimming; we also need gyms and so much more if we have to make the best out of sports,” he added.
Highway Senior School, which boasts growing success in sports, also admitted a good number of students who are looking to excel. With a total of 92 learners, Gerald Wambua, a teacher of sports, said that it is a learning process for students as well as their teachers.
“The boys are excited and motivated because it’s a new area that teaches them something new every day. As their teacher, I’m also learning because we do a lot of improvising for the classes that require equipment,” he said.
Nevertheless, unlike their peers from other schools, their proximity to top sports facilities that host major sports events is easing their practical learning.
“We take them to stadiums where they get firsthand experience in coaching and officiating during matches. This helps improve their understanding because they get to see how it is done as opposed to just explaining in a classroom,” Wambua added.
Raila Educational Centre, a mixed day school in Kibera slums, admitted 36 students. Just like her Highway compatriot, Victoria Awuor, who is the class teacher at Raila Centre, says that they are making steady progress and making do with the available resources as they improvise if need be.
“The start is always challenging, and it is tougher for an upcoming day school that lacks adequate resources. However, we are working hard to ensure the students have an enabling environment that will lead to successful careers in sports and arts,” Awuor said.
The efforts have started bearing fruit with the school’s netball and football teams qualifying for this year’s National Term Two games. Notably, the learners are also dominating athletics with runner Emmanuel Lemiso, a Form Three student at the institution, set to represent the country in the 3000m steeplechase at the 2026 World Athletics Under-20 World Championship in Oregon, USA.
Lemiso is not the only success story; 17 out of the 23-member squad are students, a milestone Technical and Competitions Director in the Directorate of Field Coordination in the Ministry of Education, Eliud Wambua, attributes to the pathway.
“The sports pathway has boosted the spirits of our talented students because they can now compete knowing that it’s not just a pastime, but they are building careers and shaping their future,” Wambua said.
Wambua revealed that capacity building for teachers has increased and also opened doors for Kenya to host high-profile global schools' sporting events such as the 2024 International Schools Sports Federation (ISF) cross country event hosted in Nairobi. Kenya is also looking to make its second appearance at the ISF Schools Football World Cup to be held in China later in the year.
In addition, CBE has linked all basic learning institutions and now Primary Schools, Junior Secondary, Senior Schools, and Special Needs Education (SNE), both Primary and Senior School, are under one umbrella, hence bolstering inclusivity.
The ministry has also collaborated with the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K), the Kenya Academy of Sports (CAS) and sports federations. This has resulted in the identification of talent at an early age, which is then nurtured through holiday camps. The success in women’s football, more so the Under-17 Women’s national team Junior Starlets, is a testament to the bright future of the Kenyan sports industry.
Junior Starlets, which comprise players nurtured in various schools across the country, made history by becoming the first Kenyan team to qualify for a FIFA World Cup in 2024 and last month beat continental football giants South Africa 5-1 on aggregate to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. The sports pathway has also paved the way for inclusion of more sports disciplines on the schools’ calendar such as cricket, beach volleyball, chess, Scrabble and lacrosse, with many more set to be included to give all talented students an equal playing field.
In a world where elite athletes mint millions and command global fortunes, institutionalising talent is a masterstroke provided the execution matches the vision. For the pioneer Grade 10 learners, sweating it out on dusty or soggy fields, they are not just students but trailblasers changing mindsets and writing a brand-new syllabus for the Kenyan dream, one goal and one brushstroke at a time.
