Infotrak Voice of the People Poll Reveals Hope, Doubt, and Growing Anxiety

As Kenya continues its ambitious journey with the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), a simple but profound question hangs in the air: is the new system delivering on its promise? The latest Infotrak Voice of the People Poll offers a timely snapshot of how Kenyans are experiencing this historic education reform, capturing not just statistics, but the hopes, frustrations, and anxieties of parents across the country.

The poll results reveal a nation cautiously optimistic, yet deeply concerned. Nearly half of Kenyans (49%) say the overall quality of education has improved since the introduction of CBC. For many parents and learners, this suggests that the shift toward skills-based learning, creativity, and holistic development is beginning to bear fruit. But optimism is far from universal. A third (33%) of Kenyans believe that the quality of education under the CBC system has indeed worsened, while 18% say nothing much has changed. In a nutshell, CBC is not failing, but neither has it fully won the confidence of Kenyans.

A Country Divided by Geography and Age

In North Eastern Kenya, optimism runs high, with a majority (78%) of the surveyed respondents indicating the quality of education under the CBC system is better. But in parts of the Coast, Central, Eastern, and Nairobi regions, dissatisfaction is significantly stronger, exposing deep regional differences in how the CBC system is being perceived on the ground.

Younger Kenyans, especially those aged between 18 and 35, view the CBC system positively. However, older respondents, many of whom grew up under the traditional 8-4-4 system, remain skeptical. This generational divide suggests that while CBC may resonate with learners and young parents, it has yet to fully win over those accustomed to conventional grading, structure, and discipline.

The Cost Crisis

If there is one issue that unites Kenyans across regions, age, and gender, it is cost. Most Kenyans (39%), cited the high cost of education, including school fees, uniforms, and learning materials, as the biggest challenge faced during the transition to senior secondary school. This concern towers above all others, painting a stark picture of families under financial strain. Besides affordability, nearly one in five Kenyans (19%) indicated that they lacked adequate information and guidance about how CBC works. They, in particular, reported to be confused by the new learning pathways, assessment systems, and placement procedures.

Smaller but significant numbers also pointed to uncertainty around student placement, emotional stress among learners, and shortages of facilities and teachers, signalling an education system still struggling to find its balance. 

CBC Grading System

Perhaps no aspect of CBC provokes stronger emotion than its grading system, which replaces traditional marks with descriptors such as Exceeds Expectation, Meets Expectation, and Approaching Expectation. Most Kenyans (45%) say they are dissatisfied with the new grading approach, compared to 38% who approve it. Many parents describe the system as abstract, difficult to interpret, and detached from familiar benchmarks that once helped them to track progress and motivate performance. For a nation raised on marks and rankings, this shift represents not just educational reform, but cultural disruption.

Uniforms: A Line Kenyans Won’t Cross

In a separate but telling question, Kenyans were asked whether secondary school uniforms should be waived. The verdict was decisive with 63% indicating secondary school uniform should remain mandatory. Despite debates about cost and personal expression, uniforms continue to symbolize discipline, equality, and social order in Kenyan schools. In an era of sweeping education reforms, this is one tradition Kenyans appear unwilling to abandon.

A Reform Still in Progress

In the upshot of the foregoing, the poll findings paint a complex portrait of CBC — a reform filled with promise, yet burdened by implementation challenges, rising costs, and communication gaps.

As Kenya pursues universal transition to senior secondary education, the Infotrak Voice of the People Poll underscores the importance of grounding education reforms in the lived experiences of learners, parents, and teachers. Effective implementation will depend on continuous stakeholder engagement, ensuring that policy decisions are informed by classroom realities, household circumstances, and community contexts. Such an inclusive approach will be critical in shaping the long-term success and sustainability of the Competency-Based Curriculum.

This national opinion poll was conducted by Infotrak Research & Consulting between December 2025 and January 2026 through Computer Assisted Telephone Interviews (CATI), involving 1,000 adult Kenyans across all 47 counties, with a margin of error of ±3.1% at a 95% confidence level.