The government is popping champagne over a 61% transition rate to Senior Secondary School (Grade 10), but on the ground, parents are popping painkillers. The shift to the new education tier is proving to be a logistical and financial nightmare for thousands of families.

While the Ministry of Interior reports a "successful" kickoff to the 100% transition policy, the reality in homes across Kenya is far more complex. The remaining 39% of learners—hundreds of thousands of children—are yet to report, held back by a toxic cocktail of lack of fees, confusion over school placement, and the sheer cost of new uniforms and requirements.

The "Free" Education Myth

"They say it is free, but the admission letter says otherwise," laments Mary Atieno, a mother in Kisumu. "Lunch money, remedial fees, development fund... by the time you are done, 'free' costs KES 20,000." For a population already battered by the high cost of living, these hidden costs are the barrier between a child in class and a child on the street.

The government is now deploying National Government Administration Officers (NGAOs)—chiefs and sub-chiefs—to conduct door-to-door "mop-up" operations. It is a coercive strategy that treats the symptom (truancy) while ignoring the disease (poverty).

• The Infrastructure Gap: Many schools receiving these Grade 10 students lack adequate laboratories and classrooms. Students are learning "science" from textbooks without ever seeing a test tube.
• The Teenage Crisis: The report cites early pregnancies and drug abuse as key factors in the dropout rate. It is a social indictment that our education system is struggling to address the holistic needs of the teenager.

A System on Trial

The Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) was sold as the silver bullet for Kenya’s education woes. But as the pioneer class navigates Senior School, the cracks are showing. We are building the plane while flying it, and it is the children who are experiencing the turbulence. 61% is a start, but for the missing 39%, the system is failing.