Sossion: Curriculum chaos nearly collapsed Kenya’s university education
By Aloys Michael, January 20, 2026Former Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) chairperson Wilson Sossion has revealed that the university education was on the brink of total collapse due to poorly planned reforms.
This comes at a time when the country is grappling with an acute education funding crisis.
In an interview on a local TV station on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, Sossion said unstructured reforms and a hastily introduced curriculum nearly brought down both universities and basic education institutions.
“Remember, universities collapsed. We were here discussing about our alma maters, how they collapse, and this so massively, in fact, it could have been worse,” he said, adding that the damage could have been irreversible without urgent intervention.
Sossion placed responsibility squarely on past policy failures, arguing that reforms were rolled out without a professional process.
According to him, a 2022 analysis revealed the extent of the rot in the universities and showed how basic education was collapsing through unstructured reforms and a curriculum that was not well prepared.
His comments also come amid growing concern over shrinking education budgets, delayed capitation, and mounting pressure on parents and schools.
Sossion, however, credited the current administration with taking corrective steps.
“The government has taken deliberate intention to recalibrate the education sector, the teacher management aspect, which had been neglected,” he said.
He cited additional teacher recruitment and refined policies at the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) as key interventions. On the curriculum reforms, Sossion acknowledged early missteps, noting that junior secondary learners were initially expected to take up to 14 subjects without teachers who were adequately prepared.
“Teachers were not prepared for this curriculum,” he said.
However, he praised the decision to subject the curriculum to continuous review.
“The government accepted that the curriculum be subjected to continuous review,” Sossion said, adding that unnecessary learning areas were reduced and irrelevant content removed.
Grade 10 quagmire
Separately, one of the most critical decisions, he argued, was removing junior secondary grades from primary schools.
“We could have had a lot of catastrophes,” Sossion warned, pointing to the risk of congestion and unpreparedness if senior schools were forced to host Grades 7 through 12 simultaneously.
Despite the gains, Sossion said challenges persist, particularly in the transition to senior secondary education. January reporting for Grade 10 learners has exposed deep anxieties among parents.
“Parents are too selective. They’re choosing, they want to change schools,” Sossion said.
He linked the scramble for bursaries and transfers to financial strain, saying many families struggle to afford even nearby day schools.
“This place will be filled because of the pressure for bursaries. We see these sorts of stories,” he noted.
Sossion stressed that no child should miss school due to cost.
“Kenya no longer presents the cost of education as a barrier to attendance at schools,” he said.