As the pioneer class of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) transitions to Grade 10, the government has launched a "100-Day Rapid Response" initiative to sanitize the learning environment. The Ministry of Interior has issued a directive that is shaking the liquor industry: any bar or alcohol outlet within 300 meters of a school must close immediately—licensed or not.

The crackdown, spearheaded by Murang’a County Commissioner Hassan Bule, is a pilot for a national rollout. It comes amid intelligence reports that drug traffickers are targeting the new Senior Schools, seeing the older, more independent Grade 10 students as a lucrative market for psychotropic substances.

"We Will Not Negotiate"

"We cannot sit back and watch our children being exposed to alcohol at such a tender age," Bule declared during the launch. The operation brings together NACADA, the National Police Service, and KEBS in a multi-agency task force designed to bypass local corruption networks that often protect rogue bar owners.

• The target: The operation is not just about alcohol. It specifically targets the sale of bhang (cannabis) disguised as confectioneries—cookies and sweets—which has become a plague in day schools.
• The Resistance: Bar owners in Central Kenya have threatened to sue, arguing that the 300-meter rule is being applied retroactively to businesses that have existed for decades. The government’s response has been curt: "Public interest supersedes profit."

Protecting the Transition

The transition to Senior School is a vulnerable moment for the CBC generation. With students now older and facing more academic pressure, the risk of substance abuse is at its peak. The government’s aggressive stance signals that the success of the new curriculum will depend not just on books and labs, but on the safety of the streets outside the school gate.