Mandera tops national Grade 9 to 10 transition

Mandera County has recorded the highest enrolment rates in the country for Grade 9 students transitioning to Grade 10 under the new Competency-Based Education (CBE) system.

Statistics released by the Ministry of Education indicate that over 95 percent of the pioneer CBE cohort from Mandera have joined senior secondary schools.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba, however, noted that Turkana County is trailing significantly, with only about 25 percent of students having reported. In the county, just three out of ten learners have joined senior school, contributing to a nationwide figure of approximately 280,000 Grade 10 learners who are yet to report.

The CS made the revelations during the Elimu Mashinani forum held at Lavington Primary School in Nairobi. He said that out of 1,130,459 candidates who sat the Kenya Junior Secondary Education Assessment (KJSEA), over 900,000 have reported to their respective schools.

“We managed to have 85 percent of the students who were supposed to report, and this is a good number. Last week, it was 61 percent; as of yesterday morning it was 75 percent, and by yesterday evening, we were at 85 percent,” Ogamba stated on Tuesday, January 20, 2026.

He clarified that these figures do not include students in private schools, whose data is still being collected. Some students have yet to report as they are waiting to transfer to other schools or hoping to secure bursaries.

To further improve enrolment, the CS said the ministry will collaborate with local administrators through the Ministry of Interior to task chiefs with visiting homes to determine why children are not attending school and explore ways to support them.

“We are taking decisive steps to ensure that every eligible learner moves seamlessly from Grade 9 to Grade 10. Our vision is to create an education system where all students, regardless of their background, have equal opportunities to succeed,” Ogamba said.

“Our teams, led by field officers, chiefs, and District County Commissioners, are going around the country to understand the challenges parents are facing and ensure these students come to school,” he added.

Under the new educational setup, learners commenced studies this week in the newly introduced pathways: STEM, Social Sciences, and Arts and Sports, ushering in a skills-based learning era.

The shift represents a defining moment in Kenya’s education history, marking the formal transition from the 8-4-4 system to the Competency-Based Education (CBE) model.