President William Samoei Ruto has declared education the “single most important investment” Kenya can make in its people, as the government intensified efforts to streamline and strengthen the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) during the Second National Education Conference in Naivasha.
The high-level two-day forum brought together key stakeholders from early childhood education to tertiary institutions to evaluate the effectiveness, challenges and future direction of the CBC system ahead of the first university transition for CBC learners in 2029.
Speaking during the conference, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba said the gathering was aimed at reviewing the efficiency and implementation of CBC reforms across the country.
“We have introduced policies in the sector that are learner-based,” Ogamba said, noting that the education reforms are intended to produce graduates equipped with practical skills, innovation and competencies aligned to modern economic demands.
The CS emphasized that the transition of the pioneer CBC cohort to universities in 2029 remains one of the most critical issues under discussion at the conference, amid growing national debate over university preparedness, infrastructure and curriculum alignment.
President Ruto, while addressing delegates, described the conference as a defining moment in Kenya’s educational history as the country navigates what he termed “technically new territory” under CBC.
“From Japan to Germany, Singapore to Korea, these nations did not treat education merely as a humanitarian measure but as the basis of engineering their progress,” Ruto said.
“Education creates innovators, scientists and entrepreneurs. It strengthens governance through strong legislative and judicial systems. It empowers society. It is the single most important investment a nation can make in its people,” he added.
The Head of State underscored the significance of the conference theme, Driving Effective Reforms Through Transformation: A Working Education System, saying the country must embrace bold reforms capable of aligning education with present and future realities.
Ruto revealed that although he did not attend the inaugural education conference, the outcomes convinced him to personally participate in this year’s forum and future engagements on education reforms.
“I made a resolve to attend this and all future forums because reform requires bold leadership. Entrenched cultures do not give way easily,” he stated.
The President defended the government’s huge allocation to the education sector, noting that nearly 30 percent of Kenya’s national budget goes to education annually.
“That is not an expense. It is an investment that pays off handsomely,” he said.
However, Ruto also raised concerns over accountability and integrity within the education sector, especially regarding capitation funds disbursed to schools.
In a startling revelation at the conference, the President disclosed that a recent audit uncovered nearly 800,000 ghost students in the system, alongside about 200 non-existent schools that had allegedly been receiving government capitation funds.
“The KES 700 billion spent on education every year requires proper accountability and audit mechanisms,” Ruto said.
He announced that he had directed the Ministry of Education to fully digitize education management systems in a bid to seal loopholes, improve transparency and ensure public resources reach deserving learners and institutions.
The revelations are expected to intensify pressure on education authorities to clean up the sector while accelerating reforms aimed at making CBC more efficient, inclusive and globally competitive.
Education stakeholders attending the Naivasha conference are also expected to deliberate on teacher preparedness, digital learning infrastructure, university transition frameworks and financing models as Kenya races against time to stabilize the CBC rollout before the first cohort joins higher learning institutions in 2029.
