Kenyan education critic Professor Humphrey Oborah has raised an alarm over his safety, claiming his life is in danger following sustained criticism of the Competency-Based Education (CBE) system.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Prof Oborah, founder of The African Talent University, said he received threatening phone calls shortly after appearing in one-on-one television interviews on national stations, where he openly criticised the new education framework.
According to the professor, an unknown caller using a private number warned him to stop discussing the education system or face public humiliation through a coordinated smear campaign in both local and international media. He said the caller further threatened that “alternative means” would be used to silence him if intimidation failed.
“I received a phone call from a private number warning me not to talk about CBC again. I was told my name would be maligned through local and international media, and if that failed, other means would be used to shut me up,” Oborah said.
Oborah said he has since reported the matter to the police. He confirmed that the incident was recorded at Kisumu Central Police Station under OB No. 123/19/01/26.
Despite the threats, Oborah said he would not be intimidated, urging those opposed to his views to engage him constructively for the sake of the country’s education future. He stressed that his criticism is not political and is not directed at the current administration, noting that the education reforms were initiated during former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s tenure.
“We are not fighting any government. The current regime inherited this system. My concern is the future of students whose lives are at stake,” he said.
The scholar warned that unless urgent corrective measures are taken, Kenya risks producing a “wasted generation,” arguing that the core ideas behind education reform have remained unchanged since earlier attempts, including proposals dating back to the Dalc Education era.
Oborah, a long-time talent development advocate with over 24 years of experience and currently serving as Secretary General of the World Talent Federation, claimed the original vision for Kenya’s education reform was abandoned at an early stage. He said his team had proposed a radical but cost-effective shift focused on quality learning without dismantling the fundamental structure of the education system, an approach meant to reduce the financial burden on parents.
“The original system was designed to eliminate the majority and celebrate the minority. We proposed infusing quality and competence without forcing parents to spend unnecessary money in an already overburdened system,” he said.
He added that the proposed reforms aimed to simplify learning so that even parents and learners in marginalised regions such as Tana River could clearly understand how the education system works. Oborah criticised what he described as blind faith in schooling, where parents take children to school “hoping for miracles” without understanding learning outcomes.
According to him, the failure to align education with future labour market needs has directly contributed to rising unemployment.
“Children learn today but reap tomorrow. If there is no alignment between education and the future, we will continue to face joblessness,” he warned.
Oborah also dismissed claims that he was directly involved in the formulation of CBC. He said that while he did not participate in drafting the curriculum, ideas he developed with the late Prof Douglas Odhiambo, appointed during President Mwai Kibaki’s administration to align education with the Constitution, were heavily borrowed.
He described CBC as a “corrupted version” of those original ideas, arguing that the guiding philosophy and legal framework were ignored.
“The bus left the station without an engine. We knew it would tumble over the cliffs, and that is exactly what is happening,” he said.
The professor further faulted the current system for failing to shift focus from school prestige to learner pathways, saying parents continue to battle for national and county school placements instead of identifying and nurturing children’s talents.
“We were promised pathways, but what we see is a battlefield for schools. Talent, competence and career paths have been abandoned. The fundamental philosophy of reform has been lost,” Oborah said.
