Abdullahı Maalim, a governance and policy expert with 25+ years of experience in public administration, devolution, and institutional reform. /HANDOUTAs Kenya
celebrates this year’s Madaraka Day in Wajir County under the theme “Education,
Skills and the Future,” the occasion offers an important moment to reflect on
the progress, opportunities, and challenges facing education in the country’s
Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs).
The
Frontier Counties Development Council (FCDC) is a regional economic bloc
bringing together ten ASAL counties — Garissa, Wajir, Mandera, Marsabit,
Isiolo, Samburu, Turkana, West Pokot, Tana River, and Lamu — to jointly address
shared development priorities. Among the key sectors receiving growing
attention across the region is education, particularly in light of the rapidly
changing demands of the modern world.
For many
years, learners in Northern and Frontier Kenya
have faced structural barriers that have limited access to quality education.
Long distances to schools, climate shocks, insecurity, poverty, inadequate
infrastructure, low digital connectivity, and a shortage of learning resources
have continued to affect educational outcomes in many communities.
Yet
despite these challenges, important progress is being made through
collaboration among the Ministry of Education, county
governments, development partners, communities, and regional institutions to
expand access to inclusive, future-orientated learning opportunities.
One of
the areas receiving significant focus is Early Childhood Development and
Education (ECDE), a devolved function where county governments have invested
heavily in classrooms, teacher recruitment, school feeding programmes, and
teaching and learning materials.
To
strengthen coordination within the subsector, the first regional ECDE Strategic
Plan for 2025–2029 was recently developed in collaboration with the Ministry of
Education’s Directorate of ECDE, the Aga Khan University Institute for Human
Development and other stakeholders. Drawing on the County Integrated
Development Plans (CIDPs) of member counties, the strategy seeks to improve the
coordination of interventions, reduce duplication, and provide a shared roadmap
to strengthen early learning systems across the region.
Efforts
are also underway to establish multi-sectoral ECDE Technical Working Groups in
the counties to support more integrated approaches to child development. This
recognises that quality early learning cannot be separated from issues such as
nutrition, health, child protection, psychosocial wellbeing, and safe
environments for children. In Lamu and Isiolo counties,
support has also been extended towards the development of Child Protection
Policies aimed at strengthening safeguarding systems and addressing
vulnerabilities affecting children. There are ongoing efforts to scale similar
interventions to other counties within the region.
At the
same time, growing attention is being placed on equipping learners with
21st-century skills that are increasingly becoming essential for participation
in the modern economy. Digital literacy, problem-solving, creativity, and
technological skills are no longer optional competencies but critical
foundations for future competitiveness.
Through
partnerships with the Raspberry Pi Foundation and UNICEF, ongoing digital
literacy interventions are helping integrate ICT into classroom delivery in
frontier counties. The programme, now in its third year, supports teacher
training, provision of ICT devices, access to curriculum-aligned digital
content, and strengthening of digital learning systems in schools.
So far,
the initiative has reached approximately 165,000 learners, 341 schools, and 371
educators across Grades 4 to 9 within the region. Importantly,
the programme is also taking deliberate steps towards inclusive digital
learning. Under the UNICEF-supported component, visually challenged learners
are being supported through specialised teacher training and the introduction
of the LEGO Braille Bricks technology, helping improve access to foundational
literacy and learning for children with visual impairments. The intervention
reflects a growing recognition that meaningful educational progress must
include learners living with disabilities and other vulnerable groups. In
partnership with EIDU, an additional 145,000 early learners are benefiting from
digital literacy support within ECDE centres across the counties.
Recognising
the realities of low internet connectivity in many remote and pastoralist
areas, innovative offline digital learning solutions are also being piloted
through collaboration with Ontum Education Limited. Using Ontum Kulbox Kits and
management platforms, schools in internet-challenged locations can access
curriculum-aligned educational content offline. The
approach is helping bridge one of the biggest barriers to digital inclusion in
ASAL regions and expanding opportunities for learners who would otherwise
remain excluded from modern learning resources.
Another
important development has been the recent launch, within
the frontier space, of localised ICT repair and maintenance initiatives aimed at
rehabilitating digital tablets and devices already existing in schools but
rendered ineffective due to technical faults and a lack of maintenance systems.
The localised repair model is expected to improve the sustainability of digital
investments while also creating opportunities for technical skills development
among local youth and educators.
Beyond
the implementation of programmes, attention is also being directed towards
policy dialogue and long-term planning for education in Northern Kenya.
Preparations are currently underway for the North Eastern Education Regional
Summit scheduled for August 2026. The summit is expected to bring together
policymakers, county governments, education practitioners, researchers,
development partners, and community leaders to deliberate on sustainable
solutions for improving educational outcomes in the region. To inform
the summit discussions, a regional education study has already been
commissioned to generate evidence-based recommendations that can guide future
investments and policy interventions.
As the
country reflects on this year’s Madaraka Day theme, one message stands out
clearly: education remains one of the most powerful equalisers in society.
Investments in early learning, digital literacy, inclusive education, teacher
capacity, child protection, and skills development are not merely sectoral
interventions — they are investments in peace, resilience, opportunity, and the
future of Kenya itself.
The
experience emerging from the frontier counties demonstrates that with the right
partnerships, innovation, and commitment, even historically marginalised
regions can steadily build stronger and more inclusive education systems. The
journey ahead remains long, but the foundations being laid today are steadily
opening new possibilities for children and young people across Northern Kenya —
ensuring that geography no longer defines the limits of their potential.
The writer is a governance and policy expert with 25+ years of experience in public administration, devolution, and institutional reform
