"The CBE curriculum should strengthen schools, especially for low-income communities, not weaken them," said Tabitha Katingu, a mother from the area, who has transferred her two children, meaning they now have a 3km walk to school.

"We want the best for our children. If a school has not enough trained teachers and other required facilities - why would we waste time there?"

It has left many teachers frustrated too.

"The challenge is not that teachers are unwilling to embrace CBE. It's that many of us have not been adequately prepared for it. The training has been inconsistent, especially in rural schools," said a teacher based in Kitui county.

Not all Kitui residents put the blame for school closures solely on the curriculum. Some note that people are having fewer children, while others are moving away for better job opportunities.

"Young people want to marry, but life is hard. Everything is expensive, and many fear they cannot provide for a family. That is why there are fewer children growing up in our villages nowadays," Sarah Mumbua from Kilukuya village told the BBC.

Those who secure jobs in towns often relocate with their families, further draining rural communities of school-age children.

About 70% of Kenyans lived in rural areas in 2023, according to national statistics . Should the current trends continue, UN-Habitat predicts more than half of Kenya's population will be living in towns or cities by 2050.

The decline in pupil numbers is also affecting rural secondary schools. According to government data, 2,700 of the country's 9,605 public secondary schools, mostly located in remote areas, have fewer than the required 150 learners.

Ten secondary schools were closed earlier in the year when teachers arrived to take up posts to discover not one single student, local media reported.