Impact of Selected Resource Management Challenges on Implementation of Competency-Based Education in Public Junior Schools in Baringo County, Kenya

Abstract

Abstract This study examined how selected resource management challenges influence the implementation of Competency-Based Education (CBE) in public junior schools in Baringo County, Kenya. Despite national efforts to strengthen CBE, implementation in marginalized regions such as Baringo continues to face persistent weaknesses in the provision of human, physical, ICT, and financial resources, creating disparities in curriculum delivery and learner outcomes. The study was guided by Kotter‘s Change Management Theory, which underscores the importance of strategic leadership, stakeholder engagement, and resource alignment in driving successful educational reforms. The purpose of the study was to determine the extent to which human, physical, ICT, and financial resource management challenges affect the effective implementation of CBE. In line with this purpose, the study investigated how teacher capacity, infrastructural adequacy, digital readiness, and financial governance relate to CBE enactment in junior schools. A descriptive research design was adopted, and the study was conducted across six sub-counties in Baringo County. The target population comprised 1,739 stakeholders, including head teachers, junior school teachers, and sub county directors. Using stratified random sampling, a sample of 317 respondents was selected. Data were collected through questionnaires and interview guides. Instrument validity was ensured through expert review, while reliability was confirmed through pilot testing in eight junior schools excluded from the main study. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and regression analysis, while qualitative data were subjected to thematic analysis. Findings revealed that, among the four resource management dimensions, only financial resource constraints had a statistically significant effect on CBE implementation (B = –0.488, p = 0.021). Human resource challenges—such as insufficient teacher training, inadequate continuous professional development, resistance to pedagogical change, and heavy workloads were widespread but not statistically significant. Physical resource limitations, including overcrowded classrooms, inadequate laboratories, and shortages of instructional materials, similarly hindered teaching but did not significantly predict implementation outcomes. ICT-related challenges, such as insufficient devices, limited connectivity, and low digital competence among teachers, also emerged but were not statistically significant in the regression model. The study concludes that although human, physical, and ICT challenges remain substantial, financial resource constraints form the most critical barrier to CBE implementation in Baringo County. Effective curriculum delivery, therefore, depends on strengthened financial planning and timely resource allocation. The study recommends enhanced funding structures, targeted investment in teacher training, expansion of physical and ICT infrastructure, and improved financial governance mechanisms to support the sustainable implementation of CBE in junior schools.