The shift from primary to Grade 10 under Kenya's Competency-Based Curriculum has created major challenges for public secondary schools, with many small ones facing closure risks due to low enrollment. Prestigious national schools are attracting most students, leaving smaller institutions empty. The Ministry of Education has identified 2,700 public schools with fewer than 150 students total.
The transition from primary to secondary education has disrupted public schools across Kenya under the new Competency-Based Curriculum. Previously, secondary schools ran four forms from Form One to Four. Now, with only three streams and no new intake since 2024, many institutions operate with just two filled classes, leaving one empty.
Large national schools benefit by enrolling double the usual students, as parents prefer their prestige. This leaves small schools without pupils, accelerating closure risks. Last year, the Ministry of Education flagged 2,700 public schools with under 150 students total as inefficient.
Education Minister Julius Ogamba stated: “There is no benefit in having a school with just 10 children. We need schools with full infrastructure and the right number of students. There is no need for 10 schools where there are 1,000 students while one school has only 100.”
Examples abound. In Turkana County, Philadelphia Mixed Day Secondary, established in 2024, has received no Grade 10 students. Director Julius Atieno sought local leaders' help to re-enroll dropouts from gold mining or those refusing to join. In Trans Nzoia County, St Paul’s Kapchepsir Secondary got only four out of 45 expected students. Director Wycliffe Magero praised President William Ruto's directive allowing enrollment without uniforms or fees to save out-of-school youth.
Similar shortages hit small schools in Baringo, Makueni, Kitui, Machakos, Tana River, Homa Bay, Bomet, Nakuru, Kirinyaga, and Busia counties, often receiving less than half their anticipated intake. Parents and teachers advocate merging schools to cut costs, as government funding ties to enrollment numbers. Government efforts aim for 100% transition, but financial hurdles and bias toward big schools endanger small ones.