At least 113 adult learners are sitting for the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination in Kakamega County as private candidates.
The County Director of Adult and Continuing Education (ACE), Stephene Apolo Sibena, said the government has rolled out an Accelerated Education Programme (AEP) to enroll those who did not complete their KCSE studies so that they can sit for the exam in 2026, as the 8-4-4 education system is being phased out to make way for the Competency-Based Education (CBE) system in 2027.
Speaking to KNA in Kakamega town, Sibena explained that learners who went through the 8-4-4 system may not easily transition to CBE.
He emphasized that the government aims to give them a chance to complete their education and obtain certificates before the full shift to the new system.
“We are planning to mop up school dropouts who completed KCPE or dropped out before Form Four. The CBE programme will not accommodate this group due to the coming changes, so we want to give them an opportunity to complete KCSE,” he said.
Sibena noted that a significant number of people dropped out of school under the 8-4-4 system due to various social and economic challenges but now wish to return, complete their studies, and advance to colleges or universities.
“We are beginning registration early so that next year we can have a larger number of candidates than the 113 we currently have. Our goal is to enroll many more adult learners to sit for KCSE by 2027,” he added.
Kakamega County currently has 112 Adult Education Centres across all its 12 sub-counties, serving more than 1,115 adult learners pursuing various levels of basic education.
By Moses Wekesa and Frank Milimu
