Rural Kenya is witnessing a devastating crisis in its primary education system, with thousands of schools facing imminent closure due to plummeting enrolment figures. The once-thriving Kaliluni Primary School in Kitui county, over 200km east of Nairobi, now stands as a haunting example of this trend. With only five pupils on the roll and even they often absent, it has become a barren landscape devoid of life, save for scattered textbooks.
The decline is directly linked to Kenya's ambitious overhaul of its education system, which was introduced in 2017 with the Competency-Based Education (CBE) curriculum. Aimed at fostering more practical and creative learning, CBE shifts away from traditional exam-focused approaches. A key change involves the establishment of junior secondary school (grades seven to nine), which primary schools are now expected to accommodate.
However, many rural primary schools struggle to meet these enhanced requirements due to severe infrastructure gaps. Education expert Mark Kasyoki notes that basic facilities like laboratories are in short supply, despite learners being required to pursue science and technical pathways. This disparity has led to a surge in parents transferring their children to better-resourced schools, often involving arduous daily commutes of several kilometres over rough terrain.
The impact is far-reaching, with other schools in Kitui county having already shut down due to critically low enrolment. Parents are opting for schools that can adequately deliver the new curriculum, even if it means significant travel. This exodus leaves behind a trail of abandoned schools and frustrated teachers who, while willing to adapt to CBE, often lack the necessary support and facilities.