While 85% of learners have reported for Grade 10, the government launches a door-to-door "mop-up" operation to find the remaining thousands before the window closes.

The report card is in, and it is a mixed bag. Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has confirmed that 85% of learners expected to join Grade 10 under the new Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) have successfully reported. However, in the Nyanza region, the silence of the remaining 15% is deafening.

With over 900,000 students settled in class nationally, the focus has shifted to the "missing" cohort. In counties like Kisumu, Siaya, and Homa Bay, administrators are confronting a perfect storm of challenges: poverty, teenage pregnancies, and confusion over the new "Senior School" pathways.

The Last Mile Challenge

The transition to Grade 10 is historic—it marks the beginning of the three-pathway system (STEM, Social Sciences, and Arts). But for families struggling with the high cost of living, the new uniform and levy requirements have been a hurdle too high.

"We are not just sitting in offices," CS Ogamba declared on Citizen TV. The Ministry has deployed chiefs and assistant chiefs to conduct door-to-door visits. The directive is clear: find the students, understand the barrier, and get them to school. No child should be left at home due to lack of fees.

• The Numbers: Nationally, about 1.1 million learners were expected to transition. An 85% turnout leaves roughly 165,000 students unaccounted for.
• The Pathways: Early data shows a heavy skew towards STEM, creating congestion in schools with laboratories, while Arts-focused schools remain under-capacity.
• The Deadline: The government has extended the reporting deadline to January 21, giving parents a final grace period before legal action is taken against those withholding children.

A System Under Stress

The success of Grade 10 is the litmus test for the entire CBC project. If 15% of a generation drops out at this critical juncture, the reform will have failed its equity mandate. For the administrators in Nyanza, the next 48 hours are not just about statistics; they are about saving the futures of 30,000 children who are currently invisible.