Kenya Needs Theological Quality Assurance That Understands Ministry

Kenya’s debate about theological colleges raises a practical question: what kind of quality should regulation protect? The National Assembly publishes a Public Petitions Committee report on Petition No. 15 concerning regulation of theological colleges. A committee report must be distinguished from an enacted Act or an operational regulator. The proposals below are my recommendations for a trustworthy theological quality framework. Parliamentary report.

There is a dangerous false choice in the public conversation. On one side lies regulatory neglect, in which learners can be exposed to weak awards, poor governance and unaccountable institutions. On the other lies the assumption that every Bible college should be governed through the same occupational architecture used for general trades and professions. Kenya needs neither neglect nor reduction. It needs theological quality assurance that understands ministry while remaining worthy of public trust.

CBTE means Competency-Based Theological Education. The term expresses a central commitment: learning begins with a clear account of the person and ministry practice a programme exists to form. This is related to, but not identical with, Kenya's broader Competency-Based Education and Training system, usually abbreviated CBET.

CBTE does not mean adding a practicum to an otherwise unchanged curriculum. It integrates knowing, being and doing. Biblical and theological understanding, communication, leadership, contextual wisdom, ministerial skill, ethical character and spiritual maturity are brought into one formation process. Competencies remain clear, but…