This archive report was first published on 24 September 2021.
September 19, 2021, marked a significant day for the Atheists in Kenya Society (AIK) as they proposed a new subject to replace religious studies in the Kenyan education system.
According to Nyende Mumia, the President of AIK, the current Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) is flawed as it assumes that Kenya only has three religions – Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism.
He argues that this narrow focus excludes other important philosophical and ethical perspectives, such as humanism, atheism, Buddhism, and polytheism.
AIK wants the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) to consider their proposal to introduce a new subject called Philosophy and Ethics, which would provide an inclusive and neutral environment for pupils to explore different views and opinions.
“The new subject will include objective education about religious belief, but not to the detriment of other important philosophical and ethical perspectives,” stated Nyende Mumia.
AIK believes that this reform is necessary, especially now that stakeholders are raising concerns about the CBC.
“We would like the KICD to afford the country an opportunity to revisit, revise, and appraise its religious education system,” said Nyende Mumia.
AIK has made their proposal available on Twitter, and they are calling on the KICD, the Law Society of Kenya, and other stakeholders to consider their proposal.
