Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale has faulted inadequate funding for persistent challenges facing the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), arguing that poor resourcing has undermined the promise of education reforms in Kenya.
In a statement shared on X, Khalwale said the problems affecting CBC — including congestion during school transitions and limited access to university education for children from poor backgrounds — are a direct result of insufficient financial support from the government.
He maintained that without proper investment, the policy goal of 100 per cent transition remains unrealistic.
“The reason why the CBC is fraught with all manner of problems, the 100 per cent transition remains nothing but a mere dream and university education is inaccessible to the poor is simply because of inadequate resourcing,” Khalwale said.
The senator went further to outline an aggressive plan should he be elected governor of Kakamega County in the next general election.
He pledged to prioritise education funding at the county level, even if it means defying existing financial procedures and regulations.
“Next year I will do everything as the governor of Kakamega County, including breaking some of the government financial procedures and regulations, to ensure that all the learners in Kakamega realise their full academic potential,” he added.
Khalwale’s remarks come amid growing national debate over the CBC rollout, with parents, teachers and education stakeholders raising concerns about infrastructure gaps, teacher shortages and rising costs borne by households.
Critics of the system argue that the transition from junior secondary to senior secondary is exposing inequalities, particularly in rural and low-income areas.
While education is largely a national government function, counties play a supporting role through early childhood education, infrastructure and bursary programmes.
Khalwale’s comments are likely to reignite debate on the limits of county powers and the need for stronger coordination between national and devolved governments.
His pledge to bypass financial regulations may also attract scrutiny, given existing concerns over public finance management and accountability in county governments.