Health Cabinet Secretary (CS) Aden Duale has criticised former Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i, accusing him of mismanaging the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) during his tenure at the Ministry of Education.
Speaking during an interview with a local TV station on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, Duale claimed that Matiang’i was the chief architect of CBC and blamed him for the challenges that have plagued the education system since its rollout
“Fred Matiang’i is the brainchild of this CBC when he was the minister for education. He messed up that CBC,” Duale said.
The CS noted that the current administration has been forced to address problems inherited from the previous government, adding that significant progress has already been made under President William Ruto’s leadership.
“We are fixing his mess, and it is now working,” Duale stated.
Duale further praised President Ruto’s leadership, saying the Head of State has managed to define and secure his legacy within a short period in office, something he argued past leaders failed to achieve over much longer tenures.
“Some people cannot believe that President Ruto fixed and defined his legacy in three years, something that some people could not do in 10 years,” he added.
CBC
This comes a month after a new survey highlighted growing concerns over the country’s Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), the education system introduced in 2017 to emphasise practical skills, knowledge application, and values over rote memorisation.
The Stahili Pulse Report, released on December 1, 2025, interviewed 3,222 randomly selected Kenyan adults across all 47 counties.
It found that a significant portion of the population believes the country lacks sufficient teachers to effectively deliver the new curriculum.
Dubbed the Mtihani Report: Gauging Preparedness and Trust in the CBC/KJSEA Transition, the survey assessed readiness and public confidence in the CBC system.
According to the findings, 27.9 per cent of respondents said they somewhat believe the number of teachers is inadequate for the programme. Another 15.9 per cent described the teacher shortage as very inadequate.
Conversely, 28.8 per cent of respondents said the number of teachers was mostly adequate, while 21 per cent considered it entirely sufficient.
CBC was introduced to replace the previous 8-4-4 system, which many Kenyans favoured for its familiarity and examination-focused approach.
