𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐒𝐀𝐁𝐈𝐓 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐀 𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐏𝐒 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐅𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐀𝐃𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐎𝐑 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐎𝐑 𝐒𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐋𝐒

Education professionals, trade unions, faith-based organisations, parents, private organisations, and locals from Marsabit and Mandera Counties have opposed the current structure of Kenya's Competency-Based Education (CBE), which places Junior Secondary School (JSS) under the same roof as primary school.

Speaking during a public participation exercise on the proposed Education Reform Bills, conducted by a Sub-Committee of the Departmental Committee on Education led by Hon. Ebrahim Haro, the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), KUPPET, Parents Associations, JSS representatives from the two counties, faith-based organizations — who are school sponsors — among other groups in the region, presented memoranda before the Committee at Marsabit KMTC and at Mandera Technical Training Institute (MTTI).

They claimed there was widespread harassment, mismanagement of funds, and bad blood between the head teachers and JSS teachers. 

"We want to ask this Committee to consider making changes to the current structure of our schools through the Bills before you. Domicile Junior Secondary School in high school where there are better facilities. We also want to see the county education board chaired by an education scholar, not just an administrator", said a representative of KNUT in Marsabit. 

There was also a request for increased capitation in schools to match the actual enrollment of learners, an improved school feeding programme to attract more children to school, and the need to clearly categorize schools into Public, Public-Sponsored, and Private Schools during transitional placement.

A group of Education Quality Assurance and Support Officers from Marsabit County raised concern over the neglect of the North Eastern region in facilitating their work.

"Marsabit is a vast county; quality assurance officers travel as far as 500 kilometres to reach schools, and this has been a major challenge. It's a problem that cuts across Kenya. We ask that you consider it in these reforms to help our schools," one officer said.

Dr. Agnes Mutuma, the Principal of Marsabit KMTC, asked that the Ministry of Education consider a quarter system during student placement, where 30 per cent of students in the institution are locals, to help increase human resources in counties where security is a concern for some professionals.

"We have dispensaries here that have closed down due to security reasons. Let us have more locals in these colleges to cure the problem," she said.

The Kenya Secondary Schools Association (KESSHA) representatives from Mandera County, in their memorandum, indicated that there was serious underfunding of the school capitation programme, which needs to be addressed through the Bills.

"Hon. Haro, we want to tell your Committee that schools are underfunded. Senior schools are struggling because this money is sent late. In 2014, the Dr. Kilemi Mwiria report put school capitation at Sh22,000 per student, but only Sh12,000 gets to schools," they said.

The sentiments were supported by KUPPET. Religious leaders in Mandera called for the inclusion of Arabic language in the school curriculum and the banning of school examinations on Fridays, since it is a prayer day for Muslims.

In his remarks, Hon. Haro assured all the groups and individuals who made presentations that the Committee was committed to ensuring that all views shared, both verbally and in memoranda, were of equal importance and would be captured in the Reform Bills.

"When you talk of funding, the Bill intends to establish an Education Funding Authority. We want every post-secondary student in whichever institution, public or private, to be eligible for government funding based on their courses and the total cost," Hon. Haro said.

"I want to ask that you interact with the Bills to cure the problems we have seen in the education sector; this is just one of them," he added.

The Hon. Member encouraged locals and any other groups that might have been left out to share their written submissions with the Committee through the office of the Clerk of the National Assembly before 2nd October, 2026.