The 98th Kenya Music Festival national edition is under way in Bungoma, bringing together thousands of learners from across the country to showcase their talents.
Performances include music, spoken word and traditional performances under the Competency-Based Education (CBE) curriculum.
The annual festival has transformed Bungoma into a hub of activity as schools and tertiary institutions compete in specialised compositions, traditional instrumentals and spoken-word categories.
Kenya Music Festival chairman Frederick Ngala said the event remains a key platform for implementing the CBE curriculum by identifying and nurturing talent while promoting inclusive education.
“We are in the era of Competency-Based Education, and the Kenya Music Festival is the vehicle for delivering this approach to education,” he said.
Junior schools competed in thematic classes sponsored by various institutions, including the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, where performances focused on data privacy.
Other schools presented entries on values under categories supported by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development.
Tertiary institutions, including Maasai National Polytechnic, Kaimosi Friends National Polytechnic and the National Youth Service, also competed in African drum and wind instrument categories.
The festival placed significant emphasis on inclusion, with learners with disabilities participating in specialised classes tailored to their needs.
In visually impaired categories, adjudicators assessed pitch control, auditory coordination and spatial awareness.
Hearing-impaired performances were evaluated on rhythm, visual precision and sign language articulation.
Tumutumu School for the Hearing Impaired emerged first in the Kiswahili choral verse category, followed by Givavei Friends School for the Deaf and Murang’a Special School.
Ngala said the inclusion of specialised categories reflects the goals of the Competency-Based Education framework by ensuring every learner has an opportunity to showcase their abilities.
The Kiswahili choral verse category was sponsored by Equity Bank, marking the first time the lender has supported Special Needs Education classes since becoming a festival partner.
Equity Bank head of education Peter Ndoro congratulated the participants for progressing from subcounty competitions to the national stage.
“All of you are winners. You have demonstrated resilience by advancing through every stage of the competition, and we appreciate your efforts,” he said.
Equity awarded Sh100,000 to Tumutumu School for the Hearing Impaired, Sh50,000 to Givavei Friends School for the Deaf and Sh30,000 to Murang’a Special School.
Festival executive secretary Janet Langat said learners will also benefit from a digital partnership involving the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development and Somaplay through eCitizen.
The initiative is intended to help young performers monetise their creative work and build sustainable careers beyond the festival.
