Mass school closures in rural Kenya: more cows than pupils

At Kaliluni Primary School in southern Kenya, only cows graze on what should be a busy morning. Three years ago, more than 200 children attended; now there are just five pupils, and on the day of our visit, they and the sole teacher were absent. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing BBC News.

Maureen Mwisiwa, 12, says she has been turning up to school for the past week to find herself alone. Her mother, Josephine Muasya, plans to transfer her to another school, but it is 8km away. Maureen will have to walk over an hour, instead of 10 minutes to Kaliluni.

Kenya's Competency-Based Education (CBE) curriculum, introduced in 2017, has hit rural schools hard. Under the new system, primary school ends at grade six, with grades seven to nine forming a junior secondary stage. But many rural schools lack laboratories, additional teachers and learning materials.

Education expert Mark Kasyoki told the BBC that infrastructure gaps are acute. Many rural schools lack basic facilities such as laboratories, yet learners are expected to pursue science and technical pathways.

Sooma Primary School in Kitui county shut in 2023 after its enrolment dropped to six pupils, and Manooni Primary School closed in 2024 after only three pupils registered.

Parent Tabitha Katingu said the CBE curriculum should strengthen schools, especially for low-income communities, not weaken them. She transferred her two children, who now walk 3km to school.

Some residents note that school closures are also due to fewer children and migration to towns. Sarah Mumbua said young people want to marry but life is hard, so fewer children grow up in villages.

About 70% of Kenyans lived in rural areas in 2023, according to national statistics. UN-Habitat predicts that if trends continue, more than half of Kenya's population will live in towns or cities by 2050.

The decline in pupil numbers is also affecting secondary schools. Government data shows that 2,700 of the country's 9,605 public secondary schools, mostly in remote areas, have fewer than the required 150 learners.