MPs grill Education CS Ogamba over CBC gaps and school funding
By Kiprono Keileb, January 28, 2026Members of Parliament (MPs) have put Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba under pressure over long-standing challenges facing Kenya’s education system, with a sharp focus on the transition from Junior to Senior School under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
The concerns were raised on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, during a National Assembly engagement, as lawmakers questioned whether the government is adequately prepared to support learners, parents, and schools ten years after CBC was rolled out.
The issues raised covered who is affected, what is going wrong, where the concerns were raised, when the scrutiny took place, and why MPs believe urgent action is needed. Lawmakers said parents across the country are struggling with high uniform costs, uneven funding between schools, and unclear implementation of government education policies. The discussion took place during the 2026 Legislative Retreat in Naivasha Constituency, where MPs were reviewing government performance across key sectors, including education.
In setting the tone of the discussion, Parliament said MPs were particularly concerned that gaps in the transition from Junior to Senior School could leave thousands of learners uncertain about their future. They also questioned whether public schools have the resources needed to handle the next phase of CBC, especially in rural and low-income areas where families already face heavy financial pressure.
“Lawmakers have put Education Cabinet Secretary, Julius Migos, on the spot over the gaps in transition from Junior to Senior school, funding disparities, high uniform costs and weak enforcement of government policy,” Parliament statement reads.
The scrutiny came as CBC marks a decade since its introduction, a milestone that MPs said should come with clear answers on what has worked and what has not. Legislators told the CS that parents and teachers are still confused about pathways after Junior School, while schools complain of delayed or inadequate funding.
MPs also raised concerns about accountability, asking how the Ministry plans to ensure that policies announced in Nairobi are properly enforced on the ground. They noted that without strong enforcement, even well-designed reforms risk failing the very learners they are meant to help.
During the retreat, lawmakers pressed the CS to explain whether the current funding model can sustain CBC in the long term, and whether the government is ready for the increasing number of learners moving through the system. They warned that without urgent fixes, the transition to Senior School could deepen inequality between well-funded schools and those struggling to survive.
“Appearing before Members of the National Assembly during the 2026 Legislative Retreat in Naivasha Constituency, the CS faced questions on the effectiveness of government funding and the Ministry’s readiness to sustain the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), ten years after its introduction,” the statement reads.
MPs said they expect concrete steps from the Ministry to address the gaps raised, insisting that education reforms must work for every child, not just those in privileged schools.