Same Forest. Different Intake. The Kenyan Education Transition Madness — Why Natasha & Jayden Are Not Boarding (literally)
Same Forest Different Monkeys.
Kenya has entered that season again.
The season when:
• Otherwise reasonable parents start shouting at PDFs
• Fathers nod slowly and say, “Hii mambo si rahisi”
• Mothers forward 3-minute voice notes at midnight
• WhatsApp groups become constitutional conferences
• Headmasters and headmistresses test their nerves — and the Ministry of Education portal
It’s school selection season.
And this time, the madness is worse — because the system changed, but the panic didn’t.
So welcome to the IBEC — Independent Blog Examinations Council, where we assess Kenyan life the same way our children are now assessed.
Not with marks.
With competencies.
📘 EDUCATION
Liz, the Transition Madness, and Why Jayden Is Not Boarding
Meet Liz.
Liz is an acquaintance — actually a friend — whom I met while testing my knees at the Nairobi Arboretum. She’s also a believer. In between dodging sharp shrubs and the guys who hide in the bushes speaking in tongues, we stopped at the base of the steep climb that borders State House security residences.
Liz wasn’t keeping up. When we finally got to the top, I asked why she was struggling that day.
I shouldn’t have asked.
Liz’s son, Jayden, has been called to a national school.
So has Natasha, her neighbour Bobby’s first-born daughter.
The holy grail.
The call that makes aunties post Bible verses.
But Jayden and Tash have formed a party.
IYAM — I Yam Not Boarding.
Both want day school. Not because they’re lazy. Not because they’re foolish.
Because day school is attractive.
My antiquated view tells me
Day school offers:
• Corn rows, sista locks, blow-dried hair, Hoodies, saggy pants, controlled rebellion
• School skirts quietly shortened at the hem, Home-cooked food, Weekends
Boarding school, meanwhile, offers:
• A rudimentary diet of githeri and ugali — similar to police recruits, but without the meat. Surveillance, Seniors, Uniforms designed and fitted in school (yes, really)
• Fewer “who taught you this?” moments
• Getting good grades for campus (like it matters)
A quick word on CBC grading
Under CBC, performance is no longer a single exam moment. Learners are assessed continuously across competencies — communication, problem-solving, discipline, creativity, resilience — and graded using bands such as EE (Exceeding Expectations), ME (Meeting Expectations), AE (Approaching Expectations), and BE (Below Expectations).
In short: effort is observed, behaviour is tracked, and outcomes are contextualised.
Liz is looking at outcomes.
Jayden is optimising for lived experience.
And then enters Kajinga High School Mixed Day & Boarding — a school whose alumni have suddenly developed amnesia about their own teenage years, while living vicariously through Natasha (“Tash”), the neighbour’s daughter who “did things properly.”
Kajinga High is a truly Kenyan enterprise.
A halfway house whose hopes are pinned on the parent’s hope that someone will drop out of the national school and your child will get a place.
Maybe in second term. Maybe in Form 2 .By Form 3, hope has completely faded.
Kajinga High it is.
Reasonable fees. Reasonable conditions. And peace at home again. Classic Kenya.
Same forest.
Different monkeys.
🏉 SPORTS-
Angela Okutoyi Didn’t Sit the Exam — She Marked It
While parents were panicking, Angela Okutoyi was quietly submitting coursework.
She won:
• A professional W35 singles title
• A doubles title
• A brutal three-set final that tested fitness, belief, and composure
This wasn’t a fairy-tale story.
This was competency.
Angela Okutoyi also emerged as the 2023 African Games women’s singles champion, defeating Egypt’s Lamis Abdelaziz 6-4, 6-2 — becoming the first Kenyan woman to win the title in 46 years, since Jane Davies-Doxzon in 1978.
She also earned a scholarship worth KSh 6.5 million, boosting her 2028 Olympics pathway.
🎓 IBEC GRADING — SPORTS
• Technical Skill: Exceeding Expectations (EE)
• Mental Resilience: EE
• Competitive Readiness: EE
• Sustainability Signal: ME → EE trajectory
IBEC Comment:
“Candidate exceeded expectations and supervised the invigilator.”
⚽ FOOTBALL (AS EDUCATION POLICY)
Compare Man United and Chelsea and you’ll understand CBC instantly especially if you look at these 2 schools.
Both keep copying each other.
Both post reasonable results.
Both generate disproportionate noise.
Here at home its what we call the Bus Stop Derby — Riruta vs Kangemi.
Or the Pudding Derby, named after the Yorkshire and bread puddings students were served during World War II.
Nairobi School vs Lenana.
Same league. Different intake. Same syllabus. Same funding. Same discipline.
While eyes are fixed on mid-table drama, let’s pause to applaud schools that had over 400 candidates and still cracked the top 20 — Kabarak, Alliance (Boys & Girls), Maranda, and Kapsabet.
Outstanding performance under extreme pressure.
❤️ LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
CBC Was Designed for This
Love is not one exam.
It’s continuous assessment.
• Communication AE (Approaching Expectations), Conflict creation EE (Exceeding Expectations), Money BE (Below Expectations) Time ME (Meeting Expectations)
🎓 IBEC GRADING — LOVE Breakdown
• Great stories, no consistency: AE
• Loyal but emotionally absent: ME
• Passionate but toxic: BE (Citizenship failed)
• Quiet, stable, shows up: EE (often ignored)
Comment: “Bright learner. Wastes time.”
💼 BUSINESS
Effort Is Not a Marking Scheme
In business:
• Strategy is the syllabus
• Execution is the exam
• Cashflow is the invigilator watching your face
🎓 IBEC GRADING — BUSINESS
• Systems + profit: EE
• Hustle + inconsistency: ME
• Potential, no discipline: AE
• Story-based planning: BE
💰 SALES (THE HIDDEN CURRICULUM)
Why Liz & Jayden Are a Sales Case Study
Liz is Marketing.
Jayden is Sales.
Marketing sells long-term brand equity.
Sales wants immediate customer satisfaction.
They’re fighting because they don’t agree on the scoreboard.
🎓 IBEC GRADING — SALES & MARKETING ALIGNMENT
• Shared KPIs: EE
• Loud arguments, same direction: ME
• Silent wars: AE
• Emotional blackmail: BE
IBEC Comment:
“Alignment beats persuasion.”
🏫 THE PRINCIPAL (WHO HASN’T REPLIED)
If the principal hasn’t answered your message yet, understand this:
(S)He’s managing:
• Parents, Politicians, Sponsors, Budgets, Alumni entitlement, Intake chaos
Here’s how one principal’s week likely looked — per the Chairman of the Laibon Society (Lenana school alumni), which is deeply and positively involved in supporting the school:
Monday, 5th Jan: New intake announced. Log into the education portal. Sieve qualified students. Pray the portal doesn’t go down.
Wednesday, 7th: Rest of the school reports. Controlled chaos. Everyone returns.
Friday, 9th: KCSE results released. Fresh drama. New parents. New expectations.
Through it all, the school posts a 95% transition rate.
(S)He’s making decisions while the nation debates the marking scheme.
🧠 SalesFundike’s conclusion
In CBC, you can’t cram character.
You create it.
Same forest.
Different intake.
🔔 Do something…..
If this sounded familiar, forward it to:
• A parent panicking
• A school WhatsApp group
• A Chelsea fan
• Someone blaming the system instead of alignment
Subscribe. Screenshot. Share.
IBEC will sit again.
Hey and guess what, If you’re a chama admin / WhatsApp group admin, please DM me.
I’ve got great deals for groups of 7 or 12 for the Biggest Sports show in East Africa.
Till the next espisode…
Jah Bless.