Schools have closed for the August holiday after a second term that laid bare the pressures facing Kenya's education system, with deadly student unrest, funding delays and challenges in implementing the Competency-Based Education (CBE) curriculum dominating learning across the country.
The three-month term tested schools on several fronts, from widespread unrest and infrastructure destruction to shortages of teachers and learning materials as the first cohort of Grade 10 learners settled into senior school under the new curriculum.
Data from the Ministry of Education shows that more than 330 cases of student unrest have been reported since April, among them 95 school fires and dozens of attempted arson incidents. The violence claimed the lives of 18 learners, making the period one of the deadliest school terms in recent years.
The wave of unrest prompted Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba to appoint a multi-agency task force to investigate what has fuelled the incidents. Unlike previous inquiries, the committee will bring together learners, teachers, school principals, parents, psychologists, religious leaders, security agencies and child protection experts.
Ogamba said the team's work will go beyond identifying those behind the unrest and instead focus on establishing the underlying issues driving the growing cases.
Education stakeholders have linked the incidents to mental health concerns, drug and substance abuse, the influence of social media, indiscipline and difficulties some learners experience while adjusting to boarding school life.
Kenya Secondary School Heads Association chairman Willie Kuria said the unrest spared neither national nor county schools, adding that institutions previously considered stable also experienced disruptions.
He proposed that learners struggling to adapt to boarding schools should be allowed to transfer to day schools, arguing that closer parental involvement could help address behavioural challenges.
Basic Education Principal Secretary John Ololtuaa called on parents, religious leaders and communities to play a greater role in instilling discipline among learners. He said the ministry is also strengthening guidance and counselling programmes and reviewing the second-term school calendar, which is the longest in the academic year.
At the same time, the rollout of senior school under CBE exposed gaps in preparedness. More than 1.1 million Grade 10 learners encountered shortages of specialised teachers, delayed textbook deliveries, inadequate infrastructure and uncertainty over career pathways.
Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development Chief Executive Charles Ong'ondo attributed the textbook shortages to inaccurate enrolment data submitted by schools after learner placement.
He explained that projected enrolment changed after learners selected schools and pathways, resulting in some institutions receiving more textbooks than required while others were left without enough learning materials. By June, only 4,227 out of about 10,000 secondary schools had submitted their enrolment data.
Questions over equity also emerged, with Kenya Human Rights Commission Deputy Executive Director Cornelius Oduor urging the government to invest more in public schools to ensure all learners have equal opportunities regardless of where they are enrolled.
Funding remained another major challenge throughout the term, with principals saying delayed capitation and rising operational costs continued to strain school operations. Parliament's Public Investments Committee on Governance and Education is expected to summon school principals over audit queries as it steps up scrutiny of public spending.
The shortage of specialised teachers, especially in technical and creative subjects under CBE, also persisted. The Teachers Service Commission said it is working with the Kenya School of TVET to identify qualified professionals for deployment.
Political protests also interrupted learning in some parts of the country during the term.
Despite the setbacks, the education sector achieved a milestone after registering 3.53 million candidates for this year's Kenya Primary School Education Assessment, Kenya Junior School Education Assessment and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations scheduled for October and November. KCSE registration has surpassed one million candidates for the first time.
As schools prepare to reopen for the final term, attention will be on whether the government can resolve the resource, staffing and funding challenges that continue to shape the implementation of the Competency-Based Education programme.