When Lucy Adenya, the Secretary of the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) tertiary wing in Kwale, walked into State House, Nairobi, for the very first time, she felt a sense of pride, teachers were finally being given priority by the highest office in the land.

Surrounded by thousands of colleagues from across the country, she described the meeting with President Ruto as “the most historic moment of my life as a teacher.”

For her, the day was not just about teachers being heard, it was about the future of learners under the Competency-Based Education (CBE) system.

“The CBE has been very transformative in the learners’ behaviour. They are self-driven, keen on discovery, and innovative. In the near future, these learners will not be job seekers. They will be job creators. When that happens, our economy will blossom because of the empowerment they are receiving,” she said.

Lucy believes that the pathways introduced under the new curriculum will seal one of Kenya’s greatest loopholes: unemployment.

“By the time learners get to Grade 10 or 11, they will already know what they want in life. They will have discovered their talents and chosen their careers. So in the near future, they will create jobs, not wait for jobs. That way, we shall have solved the problem of unemployment in Kenya,” she added.

Her sentiments were echoed by Maureen Makena, a Junior Secondary School teacher from Kiambu County.

A former intern who joined the profession in 2023, Maureen has witnessed the rapid expansion of the teaching workforce and the growth of CBE learners.

“This curriculum builds self-efficacy and competencies. It is not just about knowledge, but about what a learner can actually do. That is what makes them innovative and capable of creating jobs themselves,” she explained.

For Maureen, the transformation is personal.

“When I began teaching as an intern, schools were struggling with very few teachers handling large numbers of learners. But in just two years, the government has increased the workforce significantly. It is progress, and with the President promising even more hires, we are getting closer to the UNESCO standard ratio of one teacher to 40 learners,” she said.

President William Ruto used the occasion to reassure educators that his administration is committed to their welfare and to the success of CBE.

He announced plans to double the funding for teacher promotions from Ksh.1 billion to Ksh.2 billion, a move that will see 50,000 teachers promoted each year, up from 25,000.

“We must end stagnation in the teaching profession. Promotions will be fair, regular, and aligned with merit,” he said.

The President also addressed the urgent need for more teachers to support the transition to Junior Secondary and beyond. By January, the government expects to have hired an additional 44,000 teachers, raising the total recruited over the past three years to more than 120,000.

Beyond teacher welfare, the focus remained on pathways, transition, and capitation, the three pillars seen as critical to making CBE a success.

Learners will choose from three broad pathways: STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), Arts and Sports Science, and Social Sciences. Each pathway allows them to specialise early, sharpening talents that can lead to careers or self-employment.

Lucy Adenya sees this as a game-changer: “We now have learners who are musicians, innovators, athletes, and the curriculum encourages them to turn these passions into livelihoods. That is the kind of empowerment that will change this country.”

Capitation funding, too, was emphasized as the lifeline of reform. Without adequate funding for classrooms, labs, and learning materials, teachers warned, even the best curriculum would fall short.

For teachers, the day was also deeply symbolic, and as the sun set on the “Walimu na Rais” Forum, many teachers left State House with renewed hope.

They felt reassured that their stagnation would soon end and that their learners, nurtured under CBE, would one day drive Kenya’s economy as innovators and employers.

For Lucy, the vision was clear: “These learners will no longer queue for jobs. They will be the ones creating them. When that day comes, unemployment will no longer be our nation’s story.”