The release of senior school placement results on Friday night has triggered anxiety and anger among parents and some of the 1.13 million learners, with complaints emerging over candidates being placed in day schools located hundreds of kilometres from their homes.
Parents say the Ministry of Education directive requiring candidates to select at least four day schools during the application process was impractical, especially in rural and marginalised areas where such options barely exist.
“This was unrealistic because in many areas there are not even four day schools nearby. Learners were forced to pick schools far from home just to complete the form. These were choices made for formality, not preference. As a result, some learners have been placed in day schools located far from their counties of residence, raising questions about safety, transport costs and feasibility,” said Grace Shako, a parent in Nairobi.
Ms Shako said the system appeared to prioritise availability and pathways over distance and learner welfare.
“A day school should be near a learner’s home. How can a child attend a day school hundreds of kilometres away? It seems the system cared more about filling slots than about distance, safety or transport,” she said, calling for urgent reforms.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba told the Nation that the ministry places a high premium on equity, fairness and transparency in learner placement.
To ensure equitable access, the ministry applied a modified Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA) formula to determine sub-county quotas for senior school placements.
Basic Education Principal Secretary Prof Julius Bitok said the placement portal will remain open for seven days to enable learners to revise their choices.
During this period, Prof Bitok said, candidates who feel uncomfortable with their assigned pathway or school will be allowed to reapply, subject to available space and merit.
The ministry said it will publish a list of senior secondary schools with vacancies, categorised by pathway and cluster, to guide parents and candidates during the revision period.
He reiterated that all revisions will be processed transparently and equitably, in line with placement guidelines, as the government implements the new senior school structure.
“I want to urge parents not to worry. The portal will be open for one week, and you can still revise and get the pathway you really like. When you log into the system, you will see the schools that are open, and you can apply through your junior school. Learners will be allowed to revise their choices based on pathways, including switching from STEM to Social Sciences,” Prof Bitok said.
“Grade 10 selections seem to have gone awry. Learners are being selected to join day schools miles away from where they reside. For example, my son was picked to attend a school in Meru yet he lives in Nairobi, and this is the same feedback we are getting from other parents,” said Morris Otieno, a parent in Nairobi.
The placement exercise marks the transition of the first cohort of learners from junior school to senior secondary school under CBE, with learners expected to report to senior schools in January.
“It is quite embarrassing as a parent. My son scored EE1 and EE2 and was selected to join a county school. The school he was placed in was not his choice. Why should students be admitted only to schools in their counties of origin? Are we entrenching tribalism, or what is going on with this CBC system?” asked Martin Ndirangu, a parent in Murang’a.
Mercy Cherop, a Grade 9 learner’s guardian in Nairobi, said: “My brother did well and should have joined a national school, but things are the same — he has been placed in a county school. Everyone I know has no good school to talk about.”
However, despite the complaints, some learners and parents expressed satisfaction with their placements.
Valarie Mwima Nanjira, a former learner at St Paul’s Ejinja Primary School in Kakamega, said she was happy with her placement at St Francis Rang’ala Girls to pursue her dream in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) pathway.
“We are celebrating. We couldn’t be happier. Her dream of becoming a doctor is now clearer after the placement,” said her father, Mr Alvin Amakobe, echoing the sentiments of thousands of parents whose children successfully navigated the most competitive track.
For Rinah Muhache, a 15-year-old from Shimo La Tewa Junior School, the placement was a victory for her Social Sciences pathway dream. Having scored 30 points, she was placed at Mathaithi Girls, a C2 category school.
“I am happy that a girl from the Coast was selected to join a C2 school in upcountry. This will promote equity,” her mother, Ms Josephine Maitha, said, praising the government’s new placement formula.
For many parents, the anxiety of the transition was replaced, at least momentarily, by the raw emotions of children seeing their future career pathways in black and white.
Romeo Ng’otho, a 15-year-old from the remote village of Kaptuko in Kilifi County, achieved a staggering 68 points — a score earned through studying until 7 pm every night to complete the syllabus. He was overjoyed when he was placed at the prestigious Kapsabet High School (C1 category) to pursue the STEM pathway.
For Romeo, this is not just a school; it is a launchpad to becoming a surgeon.
“Becoming a surgeon is a promise to my widowed mother,” Romeo said. His mother, Ms Georgina Muthui, has raised him by selling chickens since his father died in 2017.
However, she said Romeo’s joy is clouded. While he has the marks and the school, his family is struggling with a medical crisis; his aunt is battling cancer, draining the meagre resources earned from the chicken business.
“I don’t even know if she will be able to take me to senior school next year,” Romeo admitted. He is now one of many bright students calling for well-wishers to ensure that poverty does not extinguish a dream cultivated through years of hard work.
