The purpose of this study was to analyze the Factors Affecting Students’ Ability to Express
Themselves in Public Secondary schools in Kikuyu Sub County, Kiambu County. The study was
guided by the following objectives: To find out the effects of students’ first language on their
ability to express themselves in Kiswahili language in Kikuyu sub-county, Kiambu County, To
assess the effects of teaching and learning resources on students’ ability to express themselves in
Kiswahili language in Kikuyu Sub-County, Kiambu County, To examine the role of language
policy in students’ ability to express themselves in Kiswahili language in Kikuyu Sub-County,
Kiambu County and To suggest possible interventions to improve students’ ability to express
themselves in Kiswahili language in Kikuyu Sub-County, Kiambu County. The study adopted a
descriptive survey design to help uncover the various factors affecting students' ability to express
themselves in Kiswahili language. The study sample included 117 participants of which 114
were students and 3 were teachers of Kiswahili. However 113 participated in data collection.
Data was collected using questionnaires which were distributed to the sampled schools. It was
then analyzed using descriptive statistics where the quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS.
The data was then presented in pie charts, graphs and frequency tables to give a clear impression
of the trends in the data. The findings proved that first language, language policy and resources
have an impact on one's ability to express themselves in Kiswahili language. The interventions to
improve students' ability to express themselves in Kiswahili language included use of
educational media and technology in teaching Kiswahili and also proper implementation of
national and school language policies. The recommendations included banning the use of Sheng'
by the national government and increased personal practice to increase proficiency in Kiswahili
language.