Parents express financial and placement concerns ahead of the 2026 senior school rollout under the Competency-Based Curriculum.
With Kenya preparing for its first senior school transition in 2026, parents are raising fresh questions about affordability and placement. The Ministry of Education is working on a new fees structure that will determine how much families will pay for Grade 10 to 12 education.
More than one million Grade 9 learners will advance to senior school in January 2026. To accommodate this shift, the government has reorganized all secondary schools into four clusters—C1 through C4—based on capacity and available pathways.
While C1 schools will offer STEM, Arts, and Social Sciences, smaller clusters will provide limited pathways. Parents, however, worry that this could make some schools more expensive. “Will it be more costly or cause dropouts?” asked one parent from Nairobi.
Dr. William Sugut reassured families that affordability remains a key priority. He also warned schools against demanding items such as eggs and chickens for practical lessons, noting that the government already funds such needs through CBE allocations.
The new structure aims to balance affordability with quality learning and ensure smooth placement for all learners as Kenya enters a new education era.
