Education in Kenya

Education in Kenya refers to the institutionalised education system in Kenya, whereby pupils and students are taught in specific locations (and buildings), following a particular curriculum. The institutionalised system differs from traditional (or customary) education which had been in existence long before missionarisation and colonisation, and was administered according to the various indigenous groups' cultures and customs.

Institutionalised education in Kenya dates back to as early as the 18th century among the Swahili people, whereby the earliest school was established by missionaries in Rabai. During colonial rule, schools for the colonial settlers and administrators were established, as well as schools serving various religious and cultural communities.

Kenya has manoeuvered through three education curriculums since independence in 1963, with the latest being, the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), which was rolled out in 2017 to replace the 8-4-4 Curriculum that has been in practice since 1985.

Even though efforts have been put in place to promote basic education - with literacy levels increasing among the Kenyan population - poverty, teenage pregnancy, truancy, drug abuse, among others, all affect the literacy levels of prospective pupils.

In 2017, the World Economic Forum rated Kenya's education system as the strongest among forty-three other mainland Africa countries. In the following year 2018, the World Bank also ranked Kenya as the top African country for education outcomes.

In Kenya, education is guaranteed by the Constitution of Kenya 2010, whose Article 53 stipulates that every child has the immediate right to free and compulsory basic education.