The government is preparing to roll out a major infrastructure project that will see more than 15,000 new classrooms and laboratories built within primary schools to host next year’s Grade 9 learners under the Junior Secondary School (JSS) system. Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu announced that the State has allocated over Sh12 billion to support the initiative, working jointly with Members of Parliament to ensure the spaces are completed before January. The World Bank is also expected to inject additional funding to expand the facilities, marking one of the largest infrastructure pushes since the introduction of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
The expansion comes at a critical time as the country prepares for the first Grade 8 cohort to transition into Grade 9, the final level of junior school. Machogu noted that primary school headteachers have already been trained on how to manage and account for the construction funds. The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) has also moved to dispel circulating claims that Grade 9 may be shifted to senior school, clarifying that there is no plan to relocate learners from primary-based JSS settings. According to KICD CEO Prof. Charles Ong’ondo, the CBC structure is built on established developmental stages, with the 2-6-3-3 structure intentionally designed to align learning levels with children’s cognitive growth. He emphasised that junior school was created to expose adolescents aged 12–14 to a broad-based curriculum before they specialise in senior school.
The planned construction has sparked mixed reactions from stakeholders, with some praising the government’s commitment to improving learning environments while others caution that staffing shortages remain a major obstacle. Teachers and parents have voiced concerns about inadequate numbers of trained JSS instructors, with calls for recruitment to be prioritised alongside the infrastructure rollout. Education analysts say the additional classrooms will ease congestion and support a smoother transition into Grade 9, but warn that resource gaps—especially in science and technical subjects—must also be addressed. As the country moves toward a key milestone in CBC implementation, the success of the new infrastructure programme is expected to significantly influence the stability and public confidence in the junior school system.