Kenya is grappling with a longstanding tension in its education system: whether to instruct children in English — the dominant language of higher education and formal employment — or in the local languages they grow up speaking at home. UNESCO estimates that roughly 40 percent of learners worldwide are not taught in a language they understand well, a figure that reflects the enduring influence of colonial-era language policies across much of Africa, where English, French, or Portuguese still dominate classrooms. Kenyans who have benefited from mother-tongue instruction, such as residents of Kericho (a town in Kenya's Rift Valley region) who attended a local technical college where lessons were delivered in Kalenjin alongside Kiswahili and English, say the approach transformed their ability to grasp and retain what they were taught — though educators note that English proficiency remains essential for broader economic and professional opportunities.