Girls outdance boys in Kenya Music Festival

Langata Boys students perform during the 98th Kenya Music Festival Nairobi Edition at Buruburu Girls School on July 4, 2026. [Benard Orwongo, Standard]

The growing dominance of girls' schools at the Kenya Music Festival has reignited concerns over the declining participation of boys, with education stakeholders now calling for separate competition categories for boys and girls to stem what they describe as the steady marginalisation of the boy child in one of the country's biggest co-curricular events.

From choral verse and folk songs to traditional dances, pop music and instrumental performances, girls' schools swept most of the top honours during this year's Nairobi Regional Kenya Music Festival, reinforcing a trend that officials say has become more pronounced over the past few years.

The imbalance has prompted renewed debate over whether boys and girls should continue competing in the same classes, particularly those involving soloists, choirs and dances, with some stakeholders arguing that separate categories would encourage more boys to participate and provide a level playing field.

Leading the medal haul was Karen C Girls High School, which emerged among the biggest winners after dominating virtually every category it entered. The school won the Pop Gospel class, Teachers Service Commission sponsored class, Central Bank of Kenya set piece, Patriotic Song Composition, Arrangement of Zinazovuma, Girls Set Piece and the Mixed Set Piece performed jointly with Lenana School.

Kariobangi North Girls High School also enjoyed an impressive outing, winning the Pokot dance, Pop Talent Show, Karaoke performance by Adwina, Pokot folk song, Samburu folk song and Samburu dance, all of which qualified for the national Kenya Music Festival.

Apostolic Carmel Girls won the Marakwet dance and the Rest of Africa dance categories, while State House Girls triumphed in the Kisii folk song, Keiyo folk dance and Maasai folk song classes.

Kenya High School students perform during the 98th Kenya Music Festival Nairobi Edition, at Buruburu Girls School on July 4, 2026. [Benard Orwongo, Standard]

Moi Girls Nairobi also showcased remarkable consistency, winning the Zilizovuma arrangement with Jana Usiku by Elani and finishing second in the Pop Gospel category with Mbela by Rose Muhando.

The school further excelled in the Karaoke class with Woman Is, a song from the musical Lempicka, celebrating women's resilience and determination despite oppression.

Other outstanding performances came from County Girls High School, Pangani Girls, Starehe Girls Centre, Precious Blood Riruta, Our Lady of Mercy South B, Kianda School, Baba Dogo Secondary, Ushirika Secondary School, and State House Girls, which all secured top positions across various music, dance, and cultural performance categories.

Among boys' schools, only a handful stood out.

Pumwani Boys High School emerged as one of the few dominant boys' institutions after winning the Zilizopendwa class with live accompaniment. The school also topped the Recorder Ensemble, Woodwind Solo, Piano Solo and Piano Duet categories.

Pumwani Boys School posted notable performances, finishing second behind Lenana School in Zilizopendwa with live accompaniment while partnering Karen C Girls in the winning Mixed Set Piece class.

Despite these successes, girls overwhelmingly dominated the regional competition, raising concerns among festival organisers and education experts.

Kenya Music Festival Chairman Prof. Fredrick Ngala last year acknowledged the widening gender imbalance, saying participation statistics show boys are increasingly being left behind.

According to Prof. Ngala, more than 140,000 learners participated in last year's national festival, but only slightly over 45,000 were boys compared to more than 95,000 girls.

"The female students participating in this festival are slightly over 95,000. The male students participating in the festival are slightly over 45,000. Meaning, we have to take affirmative action to enable the boy child to participate in the festival," said Prof. Ngala.

He warned that unless deliberate interventions are introduced, boys risk missing opportunities to nurture creativity, communication, leadership and innovation skills that are central to the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).

The concerns have prompted some teachers, adjudicators and school administrators to propose restructuring the festival by creating separate competition classes for boys and girls in selected categories.

They argue that mixed competitions tend to favour girls' schools because they generally attract larger numbers of participants and invest heavily in performing arts, making it increasingly difficult for boys' schools to compete.

Others believe introducing separate categories would motivate more boys to participate, reduce perceptions that music and dance are activities meant for girls and restore confidence among boys who often opt out of performing arts.

Education stakeholders also attribute the declining participation to broader challenges facing the boy child, including inadequate mentorship, changing social attitudes and an increasing preference for sports over performing arts.

Many schools report that boys are more likely to join football, rugby and athletics teams than music, drama or dance clubs, leaving girls to dominate artistic competitions.

The concern comes as the Kenya Music Festival continues expanding beyond traditional music and dance to support the Competency-Based Curriculum.

In recent years, new classes focusing on innovation, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, climate change, environmental conservation, digital creativity and social responsibility have transformed the festival into a platform for experiential learning rather than entertainment alone.

Learners are increasingly using music, dance, narratives, spoken word and choral verse to propose solutions to national challenges while developing competencies such as communication, critical thinking, collaboration and creativity.

Education experts warns that if boys continue withdrawing from the festival, they risk missing valuable opportunities to develop these competencies, which are increasingly recognised as essential for future careers.

Moses Mutali a musicologist want affirmative action measures, including separate competition classes for boys and girls, targeted mentorship programmes and greater investment in boys' performing arts clubs to reverse the declining numbers.

“The organisers should separate classes for boys to compete against themselves to avoid these imbalances. Boys are becoming vulnerable in the festival,” said Mutali.

The Kenya Music Festival attracts learners from Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE), primary schools, junior schools, senior schools, teacher training colleges and universities, making it one of Africa's largest co-curricular programmes.

Officials say balanced participation is essential because the festival provides learners with equal opportunities to discover and nurture talents, build confidence and preserve Kenya's rich cultural heritage.

The growing gender disparity has therefore sparked calls for schools, parents, policymakers and festival organisers to rethink participation strategies.