Why Kenya’s Private Schools are Quietly Sabotaging the Grade 10 Transition

January 2026 marked a milestone Kenya had waited years for. Over 1.3 million Grade 9 learners transitioned into the first full cohort of the Competency‑Based Education system, or CBC, pitched as a clean break from exam hell into practical skills and personalised pathways. The Ministry of Education trumpeted “smooth transitions” and “100 percent placement.” You could almost believe the hype until you looked closer.

Behind the press releases, a quiet sabotage was unfolding. Private schools withdrew en masse, inflating fees, dodging digital placements, and fleeing to international curricula. By the first reporting deadline, fewer than 25 percent of learners had shown up. Over 143,000 placement appeals got rejected. More than 5,000 secondary schools sat empty of new students. This was not chaos from poor planning. It was calculated resistance from profit‑driven private owners facing a system that threatened their business model.

The CBC system built to threaten profits

CBC ditched the old 8‑4‑4 grind for competencies over cramming. Schools got tiers: C1 national schools at KSh 53,554 yearly, C2 extra‑county at KSh 45,054, C3 county at KSh 40,035, and free C4 sub‑county backed by KSh 22,244 government capitation. On paper, it equalised access. In reality, it hit private schools where it hurt most.

Elite privates charge obscene fees. Hillcrest International demands KSh 2.8 million a year for Grade 10. International School of Kenya pushes KSh 4.6 million. Even mid‑tier spots like Lions School Malindi hit KSh 177,000 per term. Standardised fees and open placements crushed that premium pricing. Rather than adapt, private owners chose war through withdrawal.

Strategy one: escape to international curricula

The cleanest rebellion was simply leaving. Since 2023, top privates rolled out Cambridge International and IB programs alongside or instead of CBC. Makini Schools shifted 500 kids to Cambridge, targeting parents fed up with government rollout. Rose of Sharon Academy runs CBC, 8‑4‑4, and Cambridge in parallel. Kiota and St Mary’s layered international options on top.

This was not innovation. It was market capture. Wealthy parents paid premium for “global” credentials while middle class stuck with CBC. Thousands migrated, hollowing out the government’s reform and signalling that CBC was for those who could not afford better.

Private schools kept legal cover. International curricula are recognised. They faced no mandate to prioritise government placements. The exodus achieved two kills: elite kids vanished from CBC, and the system gained a second‑tier reputation overnight.

Strategy two: vanish from placements

When December 2025 placements dropped, a bombshell landed. Over 5,000 of 9,750 secondary schools got zero Grade 10 selections. Principal Secretary Julius Bitok blamed “preference and locality.” Truth was subtler. Many privates opted out by not meeting CBC specs like labs or trained teachers, or by marketing only international streams.

They stopped competing for middle‑class spots. Focus shifted to high‑fee international intake. The automated system did the rest. Unselected schools became self‑fulfilling failures, further eroding CBC appeal.

Strategy three: fees plus the fine print

Even “participating” privates played dirty. Government fees were entry tickets only. Parents budgeted extra KSh 40,000–60,000 for uniforms, transport, books, activities. Private schools charged for “assessment materials” despite capitation covering them. Some withheld transcripts to block transfers, trapping families.

This loaded pricing deterred price‑sensitive applicants while milking those who stayed. Public C4 schools bore the rejected load, underfunded and overcrowded.

Strategy four: dodge the KEMIS digital net

Ministry of Education launched KEMIS to kill ghost schools and manipulation. All schools had to admit through it, no side deals. Compliance crumbled. Privates issued unofficial letters, accepted multiple admissions, or fudged capacity data to cherry‑pick.

Decentralised appeals handed review power to schools themselves. No central enforcement. Thousands gamed without consequence.

Strategy five: attack CBC ideology

Some privates framed CBC as dumbing down. It bred “technicians, not thinkers,” they claimed, justifying international flight as protecting kids from underfunded mediocrity. Kenya Private Schools Association split. Some threatened full Cambridge switch if CBC faltered.

Ministry paralysis

Ministry of Education waved guidelines but lacked teeth. No private regulator. No audits. No penalties. Private owners exploited the void.

By mid‑January, 75 percent of placements missed deadlines. Transfers flooded in as fees shocked families. “Smooth” became logistical nightmare.

Two‑tier fracture

Grade 10 exposed the split. Wealth buys Cambridge/IB exclusivity. Rest get strained public CBC. Private sabotage accelerated inequality the reform aimed to fix.

The war that broke a dream

CBC sought equity. Private schools chose profit. Through exits, dodges, and inflation, they gutted it. Ministry of Education preached without enforcing. Result: fractured system where 5,000 schools sit empty and transfers never end.

Nairobi parent, your kid’s placement is not random. It is collateral in a fee war where private owners already won.