By SHABAN MAKOKHA
March 24, 2026| For decades, deeply entrenched cultural beliefs dictated that boys were destined for leadership, education, and inheritance, while girls were pushed into early marriage, domestic roles, and restricted social spaces. But the ground has shifted dramatically.
A prominent education expert, Kennedy Echesa, has ignited a nationwide conversation by warning that the Muslim boy-child is now more academically endangered than his female counterpart—a reversal he describes as “one of the most dramatic social shifts in modern Islamic communities.”
Echesa noted that Muslim girls are now pursuing academic excellence more aggressively than boys, who were previously favored due to retrogressive beliefs that a girl’s place was in the kitchen. Today, from Kakamega County to Kwale, Wajir, Mombasa, and Nairobi, Muslim girls across Kenya are surging forward, outperforming boys and breaking generational barriers once thought immovable.
Communities rallied around the Muslim girl-child—protecting her, mentoring her, funding her education, and shielding her from early marriage. But the boy-child, once privileged, suddenly became neglected.
“We pumped energy into saving the girl-child—and rightly so,” Echesa observed. “But we left the boy-child to navigate a modern world without direction. He is now paying the price.”
Speaking at the Bungoma Muslim Centre, where he presided over a fundraiser for the 4th Muslim Schools Education Day scheduled for Saturday, March 28, 2026, Echesa warned that unless balance is restored, society risks raising a generation of disoriented young men, unprepared for leadership, family responsibilities, and economic independence.
“The boy-child has no anchor anymore. Girls have teachers, mothers, mentors, empowerment groups, and human rights defenders. Boys have freedom without guidance,” he said. “Some of our male Muslim youths tend to drop off from the academic train a bit too early, leaving only our sisters to make it to the final destination. For us to be strong, we must walk side by side until the end of the journey.”
He emphasized that saving the Muslim boy-child does not mean taking anything away from the girl-child. “This is not a competition,” he said. “We cannot uplift our daughters while our sons crumble. The girls will end up without responsible husbands. The community needs both wings to fly.”
The event was organized by the Muslim Education Secretariat Western Province (MESWEP), the umbrella body for all Muslim schools in the Western region. MESWEP, an affiliate of the Muslim Education Council, oversees 33 Muslim primary and 17 secondary schools across Bungoma, Busia, Kakamega, and Vihiga counties.
MESWEP’s Bungoma Chapter Patron, Dr. Amin Ali Sheikh, emphasized the need for Muslims to be strategic in their pursuit of education. “As Muslim parents, let us take time to understand the curriculum, study market trends, and be more informed on career paths so that our children—both girls and boys—benefit at the end of their academic journey,” Dr. Amin said.
MESWEP Regional Vice Chairman and Bungoma County Chairman, Athman Wangara, explained that MESWEP was born out of the need to structure the management of Muslim educational institutions. “Previously, each school was managed by any nearby Muslim or imam without policies, values, ethos, or documented outcomes,” he noted.
Wangara added that MESWEP has since introduced measures to improve academic excellence, including the Muslim Schools Joint Examination Tests (MUSJET), symposiums, teachers’ capacity building, and recognition events such as the upcoming Education Day, which will be presided over by National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula.
According to Wangara, at MESWEP’s inception in 2017, the then 13 Muslim secondary schools combined could only manage to send one student to university. “The number of secondary schools has since risen from 13 to 17, and over 120 students have transitioned to university,” he explained.
The declining rate of boys in education, Echesa noted, exposes them to growing risks: drugs, crime, unstructured peer groups, and reduced mentorship as traditional male role models fade.
To address this, Echesa is advocating for structured mentorship programs for Muslim boys and stronger school governance. He offered himself to serve on the boards of Muslim-sponsored schools, arguing that the institutions require stronger governance structures, renewed accountability, and modern administrative systems to match the evolving needs of learners.
“Our children deserve institutions that function efficiently and transparently. I am stepping forward because I believe Muslim-sponsored schools can compete among the very best if we strengthen their operations from the board level,” he said, adding that boards play a critical role in shaping academic culture, discipline systems, financial planning, and infrastructural growth.
Echesa, who currently serves as board chairman at St. Paul’s Lubinu Boys High School in Mumias East and St. Ann’s Musoli Girls in Ikolomani, pledged to work closely with Muslim clerics, sponsors, parents, and the Ministry of Education to improve governance systems and enhance accountability.
Education expert Abdulrahman Shikanda described the governance gaps in Muslim-sponsored schools as a silent crisis. “When boards are weak or disconnected, decisions delay. Teaching materials delay. Repairs delay. Even disciplinary policies become unclear. We feel abandoned, and the learners suffer the most,” he said.
Shikanda believes Echesa’s professional experience could help restore order. “We need someone who brings structure and fairness to our schools, regardless of their religious affiliation. Wakili’s entry could be the turning point,” he said, arguing that without professional governance, these schools will continue to lag behind their peers, leaving Muslim learners at a competitive disadvantage.