Matiang'i fires back after Duale accuses him of 'messing up' CBC

In a statement issued after Duale’s remarks during Citizen TV's JKLive interview on Wednesday night, Matiang’i said the curriculum itself is not the issue, but rather how it is being implemented.

"The real mess we are witnessing today is not the curriculum itself, but the gross incompetence with which the administration he serves has managed the education sector," he stated. 

"Even the flagship 100 per cent transition, a major milestone achieved through deliberate planning and system reforms, has been badly mishandled and effectively undermined under their watch." 

Matiang’i argued that regardless of which education system the government had inherited, the outcome would still be lacklustre due to what he described as "poor leadership and management".

"Whether they inherited CBC, 8-4-4, or 7-6-3, the outcome would have been the same. Incompetence is the only thing they execute with consistency," he said.

He further referenced National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung'wah's recent remarks, raising concerns over the alleged ineptitude of officials in the Ministry of Education.

"In fact, Members of Parliament aligned to government have recently publicly decried the spectacular incompetence of senior officials at the Ministry of Education who are more preoccupied with self-aggrandisement than with the serious business of running the ministry," Matiang’i stated.

"There is nothing wrong with the CBC. The present challenge is in the incompetent and chaotic management of the education sector. Hopeless implementation of the curriculum."

He expressed confidence that the United Opposition would fix the mess should they win the 2027 presidential election. 

"But there is hope. We are ready to fix this again. When Kenyans rescue the country from incompetence and poor leadership in 2027, we will restore order, professionalism and results-driven leadership in the education sector, and government as a whole," Matiang’i said.

Duale had earlier faulted Matiang’i, who served as Education Cabinet Secretary, for the rollout of CBC, saying the current administration was working to fix what he described as a flawed system while defending President William Ruto’s legacy.

"Fred Matiang’i was the brainchild of this CBC when he was the Minister for Education. He messed up that CBC. We are fixing his mess, and it is now working," Duale stated. 

"Some people cannot believe that President Ruto fixed and defined his legacy in three years that some people could not do in 10 years."