GRASSROOTS FIX

In Transmara South, learning is supposed to be a ladder out of poverty. Instead, for many schoolgirls, it has become a daily struggle marked by shame, silence and impossible choices. In classrooms scattered across Chelchel and Olesoilal primary schools, basic menstrual hygiene needs remain unmet; a challenge that teachers say is quietly pushing some girls out of education altogether. At Chelchel and Olesoilal, teenage girls are walking to class without underwear or sanitary towels. Teachers describe the situation as persistent and worsening during certain times of the month, with absenteeism rising and some learners eventually dropping out. The pain behind the statistics is visible in everyday school life. Inside crowded classrooms at Chelchel, some girls sit withdrawn, avoiding attention whenever menstruation is discussed. Teachers say the anxiety is not only about discomfort, but about stigma. The fear of being laughed at or exposed in front of classmates. “I feel so bad ...

When President William Ruto and Emmanuel Macron signed 11 bilateral agreements in Nairobi this week, the language was grand: innovation, digital transformation, skills development, artificial intelligence and youth empowerment.  Buried within the infrastructure announcements and billion-shilling investment promises was an education agenda Kenya’s policymakers will likely market as a breakthrough for the country’s young population. The two governments pledged deeper cooperation in STEM education, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), digital infrastructure, artificial intelligence and skills development.  But beyond the diplomatic photographs and polished communiqués lies a harder question: who exactly benefits from these education partnerships? Kenya’s education sector is littered with memoranda of understanding that generated headlines but delivered little lasting change in overcrowded classrooms, underfunded TVET institutions or public universit...

In the dusty villages of Kilgoris in Narok County, where generations of girls have quietly disappeared into early marriages and harmful cultural practices, a quiet revolution led by women is challenging traditions that for decades silenced dreams. The revolution has no grand headquarters, no government convoy and no multimillion-shilling funding. Its battleground is the homestead, the classroom, the village meeting and sometimes the tense negotiations between determined mothers and families preparing to marry off underage girls. At the centre of this movement stands Olerai Manyatta Community-Based Organisation (CBO), a grassroots women’s group that has steadily transformed lives across Narok and beyond by rescuing girls from forced and early marriages, returning them to school and equipping vulnerable children with the tools to reclaim their futures. What began as a small collective of concerned women has evolved into one of the most influential community-led education and ...

With schools now closed and children settled into the rhythm of the long holiday, a familiar pattern is quietly taking shape in many households: books tucked away, routines relaxed and academic learning largely paused. For parents, this break is often seen as well-earned rest for their children. Yet beneath this pause lies a less visible risk; the gradual erosion of foundational numeracy skills that are critical to a child’s development. Foundational numeracy is often misunderstood as classroom mathematics—worksheets, exams and correct answers. In reality, it is far more practical and deeply woven into everyday life. It is the ability to make sense of numbers in ordinary situations: sharing food equally among siblings, calculating change at a shop, estimating how long a journey will take, or deciding whether there is enough money to buy a desired item. These are not school exercises; they are life skills. And during the holidays, children encounter these situations more fre...

Six weeks after Grade 10 students across the country reported to school, Meshack Lemerian remains at home in Enenkeshiu Village, Kilgoris Constituency, Transmara West Subcounty, not by choice, but because his family cannot afford to send him to school. Meshack, who is visually impaired, successfully sat for his KJSEA examination at Kilgoris DEB Special School. His performance earned him admission to a special secondary school in the Meru region, where he is expected to join Grade 10. However, financial constraints have stalled his transition. Speaking to the media at their rural home, his mother, Everline Mutemperia, expressed both pride in her son’s achievement and distress over their inability to raise the required funds. “My son worked very hard despite his condition. He was called to join school, but we have not been able to take him because we do not have the money,” she said. The family says the delay has been painful, especially at a time when the government has emph...

For many vulnerable families in Kilgoris, bursaries represent more than financial support. They are the thin line between staying in school and dropping out. But behind the public assurances of transparency in the recent bursary disbursement lies a trail of unanswered questions, missing cheques and parents quietly nursing disappointment. An investigation into the bursary allocation process has uncovered several loopholes that are raising concerns among parents and guardians, many of whom say the system failed those who needed support the most. Some parents interviewed said they were never considered, despite being vulnerable and having school-going children. They claim their children now face an uncertain future after missing out on funding they had hoped would keep them in school. Others reported that although they applied, their bursaries were missing from the final list, with no clear explanation provided. There were also complaints that some beneficiaries appeared on th...