OPINION: Protecting children at the crossroads - Grade 10 transition in Kenya’s ASAL counties

As Kenya advances implementation of the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC), the transition into Grade 10 marks a defining milestone in a child’s educational journey. For learners in drought affected Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) counties, however, this transition is unfolding amid a deepening humanitarian crisis. In these regions, the Grade 10 transition is not merely an education reform milestone but a child protection emergency.

According to the latest National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) assessments, 18 counties are currently classified as most severely affected by drought: Turkana, Marsabit, Mandera, Wajir, Garissa, Isiolo, Samburu, Tana River, Baringo, Laikipia, West Pokot, Kitui, Makueni, Kajiado, Narok, Kilifi, Lamu and Kwale. These counties face prolonged rainfall deficits, collapsing livelihoods, food insecurity and acute water shortages — conditions that place children at heightened risk.

Collectively, these counties are home to more than 12 million people, approximately six million of whom are children. Current assessments indicate that over 2.8 million people require humanitarian assistance, including about 1.4 million children facing hunger, malnutrition, disrupted education and escalating protection risks.

ASAL counties account for nearly 89 per cent of Kenya’s land mass and host roughly 36 per cent of the national population. Livelihoods in these areas are predominantly pastoralist or rain fed agricultural, leaving households highly vulnerable to climate shocks. As drought erodes income and food access, children are often the first to bear the consequences.

Child protection assessments show that nearly 30 per cent of households in affected counties report at least one child aged 5 to 17 years not attending school, largely due to poverty, migration and increased domestic responsibilities. For adolescents expected to transition into Grade 10, these pressures intensify sharply.

Families grappling with livestock losses, reduced incomes and rising food prices struggle to meet education related costs such as uniforms, transport and learning materials. As a result, children are pushed into harmful coping mechanisms. Boys increasingly engage in prolonged herding, farm work and casual labour, often under unsafe conditions. Girls face heightened risks of domestic labour, early marriage, sexual exploitation and transactional sex, all closely linked to school dropout and non-transition to senior secondary education.

Beyond access to education, drought has significantly escalated protection risks. Migration in search of pasture and water disrupts schooling and separates children from caregivers, exposing them to neglect and abuse. Girls in affected counties account for a disproportionate share of reported early marriages and teenage pregnancies, trends that directly undermine transition and completion rates. Children with disabilities face even greater exclusion due to limited mobility, inadequate resources and inaccessible school infrastructure.

The psychosocial toll on adolescents is equally severe. Learners approaching Grade 10 are navigating a sensitive developmental stage even under stable conditions. In affected counties, many shoulder excessive domestic responsibilities, witness family distress and endure chronic hunger and uncertainty. Yet access to guidance, counselling and structured psychosocial support remains limited in many ASAL schools.

School feeding programmes continue to play a vital protective role. In many of the affected counties, consistent provision of school meals has stabilised attendance, improved concentration and reduced hunger related absenteeism, particularly for learners transitioning into Grade 10. The Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the State Department for Special Programmes, deserves commendation for sustaining these interventions in some of the country’s most challenging environments.

From the perspective of the Ministry of Gender, Culture and Children Services, through the State Department for Children Services, the Grade 10 transition must be treated as a critical child protection intervention point. The State Department is implementing targeted support in day secondary schools within the worst affected counties, focusing on learners at risk of dropping out.

These interventions include provision of dignity kits, scholastic materials and food items to complement the school feeding programme. During field visits, mentorship initiatives are also promoted to strengthen resilience and inspire learners navigating adversity. Counties supported so far include Kitui and Samburu, with planned scale up to Garissa, Wajir, Mandera, Makueni, Marsabit, Meru, Elgeyo Marakwet, Kilifi and Kwale in February and March 2026.

This moment calls for a coordinated, child centred national response. We must strengthen school feeding and nutrition programmes, expand cash transfers and social protection for vulnerable households, provide targeted bursaries and fee waivers, invest in water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure in schools, deploy trained guidance counsellors and reinforce community-based child protection systems anchored in county governments.

Government cannot and should not act alone. Safeguarding children during the Grade 10 transition is a shared national responsibility. Development partners, civil society organisations, faith-based institutions, the private sector, county governments and communities must work alongside Government through coordinated financing, technical support, outreach and service delivery. Together, we can mitigate the impact of drought, keep children in school and protect them from harm.

Kenya must recognise drought not only as a climate challenge but as a social, educational and child protection emergency. Safeguarding the Grade 10 transition is inseparable from safeguarding children’s dignity, safety and future.

If we act decisively, this transition can become a moment of protection and possibility rather than exclusion and loss. No child should be denied education or exposed to harm simply because they were born in a drought affected county.

[The writer is the Principal Secretary, State Department for Children Services, Ministry of Gender, Culture and Children Services]