KICD Issues Apology Over Form 3 Biology Textbook Controversy

The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) has issued a formal apology following public outcry over contentious content in a Form 3 biology textbook.

The book, titled “Certificate Biology,” contained passages that appeared to place blame on rape victims, sparking widespread concern among Kenyans.

KICD Director and CEO, Prof. Charles Ong’ondo, addressed the issue on Thursday, highlighting two specific sentences that drew criticism.

These sentences, found on page 170 under the topic “Prevention of AIDS,” suggested that rape could be caused by indecent dressing and that adhering to certain dress codes could prevent it.

The controversial text reads:

It further states:

Prof. Ong’ondo acknowledged the public’s concerns, stating,

He added,

The textbook was originally published by East African Educational Publishers (EAEP) in 2004 and was evaluated and approved by KICD (then known as KIE) in 2005.

A new edition was printed and distributed to schools in 2018, indicating that the controversial content had persisted for over a decade.

Prof. Ong’ondo provided insight into KICD’s stringent evaluation process, which involves:

  1. Assembling panels of specialized educators
  2. Initial evaluation by these panels
  3. Review by verifiers from KICD and the Ministry of Education
  4. Recommendations to the KICD Council for approval
  5. Required corrections by publishers based on feedback
  6. Final check by KICD officers before approval stamp

Despite this thorough process, the problematic sentences escaped notice, an oversight KICD attributes to human error rather than intentional justification of rape.

To address the issue, KICD has initiated the following actions:

  1. Constituting a review panel to examine the book’s content within two weeks
  2. Issuing an advisory to the publisher on necessary revisions
  3. Informing schools on how to guide learners on the relevant topic

Prof. Ong’ondo emphasized,