Kenya's public education system is facing a significant crisis as the country approaches the full implementation of Senior Secondary under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), according to a new report.
A joint study by Usawa Agenda and Zizi Afrique Foundation paints a grim picture characterised by overstretched teachers, deteriorating infrastructure, and growing inequalities that threaten to derail the nation’s education reform efforts.
“Unless urgent and bold action is taken, we are heading for a disaster. The evidence is clear: the system is not ready for Senior Secondary,” warned Dr. Emmanuel Manyasa, Executive Director of Usawa Agenda.
The research indicates that teacher deployment in public junior schools is both inconsistent and insufficient.
Some schools have as few as one teacher, while others have up to 12, with a median of three teachers per school expected to manage multiple subjects.
The report found that only 21 per cent of teachers in public junior schools are trained in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects, and 35 per cent of schools lack even one STEM teacher.
Furthermore, half of the learners do not have access to basic laboratory facilities, which is a critical barrier to effective science education.
“This issue goes beyond numbers. You cannot teach science without labs, and you cannot implement CBC without trained teachers. What we are witnessing is a systemic breakdown,” stated Dr. John Mugo, CEO of Zizi Afrique Foundation.
The report also highlighted that only 33.9 per cent of secondary schools in Kenya offer computer lessons.
While 92.1 per cent of national (Cluster 1) schools provide computer education, this figure drops to 17.3 per cent in sub-county (Cluster 4) schools.
“The type of school a student attends has a greater influence on their KCSE performance than their KCPE scores,” the study observes, emphasising the significant inequities that persist despite the proposed reforms.
Equally concerning is the situation in special schools that cater to learners with disabilities, which continue to underperform due to inadequate support and a mismatch between resources and student needs.
In addition to secondary education, early childhood education is also struggling.
Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) teachers are among the least trained in the system, and 7.4 per cent of children enter Grade 1 without attending any preschool program. Counties such as Mandera (51.4 per cent) and Marsabit (33.3 per cent) report some of the lowest ECDE enrollment rates, in stark contrast to Kisumu's 1.3 per cent.
The report found that learning outcomes are low and inequitable in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) regions.
In North Eastern Kenya, only 2 in 10 Grade 4 learners could read and understand a Grade 3-level English passage, compared to 4 in 10 learners nationally.
The situation is even more critical for children with disabilities; although the gap is narrow, 7.2 per cent of children with disabilities missed ECDE compared to 7.4 per cent of their peers.
The lack of tailored support means their specific needs often go unmet.
Another significant challenge is the absence of a structured framework for community and private sector involvement in public education.
“The government cannot tackle this alone. We need a robust, inclusive model that engages families, communities, and corporate entities to support resources,” Dr. Mugo emphasised.
With Senior Secondary set to roll out in 2026, experts caution that the transition may exacerbate the current crisis unless these systemic issues are urgently addressed.
“This isn’t merely a matter of readiness; it’s a matter of justice. We are creating a two-tier system where a child’s future is determined by where they are born or which school they attend, and that is unacceptable,” Dr. Mugo concluded.
