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Chiefs now tasked with finding 400,000 'missing' Grade 10 learners
Grade 10 learners accompanied by their parents report for admission at Nakuru High Senior School on January 12, 2026.
What you need to know:
- This comes even after the government extended the admissions deadline to Wednesday, January 21.
- By Friday night, 550,000 out of 1.13 million learners had been recorded in the online admissions data portal.
The Ministry of Education has now sought the help of chiefs and local administrators to get hold of up to 400,000 Grade 10 learners who are yet to report to school.
This comes even after the government extended the admissions deadline to Wednesday, January 21.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said local officials, including chiefs, will visit homes to find out why some children are not attending school and determine the best ways to support them.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba during the release of the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education results, at AIC Chebisaa Boys School in Eldoret City, Uasin Gishu County on January 09, 2026.
“The transition will be fully completed, with the ministry aiming for 100 percent enrolment. Next week, officials will engage with the Minister of Interior so that chiefs and local administrators can visit homes to find out why some children are not attending school and determine the best ways to support them,” Mr Ogamba told the Daily Nation.
By Friday night, a total of 550,000 of the 1.13 million learners had been recorded in the online admissions data portal.
Mr Ogamba, however, clarified that the number could be much higher, because the online portal does not reflect the full number of students already enrolled, since schools continue to key in records from physical admissions.
"Learners are still streaming in. We had quite a big number by Friday night - 550,000 learners whose information had been keyed into the system. We were waiting for two regions to key in their numbers. The physical admissions are much higher than the numbers in the system,” said Mr Ogamba.
“In many instances, students have been admitted, undergone orientation, and started attending lessons, but their details have yet to be fully updated in the system due to connectivity challenges in some schools,” he added.
Mr Ogamba also cited challenges with under-enrolled schools, noting that some institutions have very few students due to low demand.
“We need to face reality. Some schools are not preferred by students. This will guide future decisions on consolidating resources to schools that are most sought after. A report will be prepared once the exercise is complete, detailing how many students each school has received and whether any adjustments, such as redistributing students, are necessary,” he said.
On Friday, Mr Ogamba announced that the admissions deadline had been extended to Wednesday, January 21, in a bid to achieve 100 per cent transition.
He said the extension was necessitated by the slow consolidation of reporting data, with Eastern and North Eastern regions yet to submit their final figures.
Grade 10 learners report to Kapsabet Boys High School in Nandi County during admission day on January 12, 2026.
"We have found it necessary to extend the Grade 10 admission deadline to Wednesday next week to ensure no learner is left out, except in critical cases involving clear placement errors," he told the Daily Nation.
A total of 1.13 million candidates sat the 2025 Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA), whose results were released in December 2025, with the government subsequently opening a review window that attracted applications from more than 300,000 learners seeking reassessment of their scores.
Mr Ogamba reiterated that no learner will be left behind. The government has activated several financing options, among them National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) bursaries and scholarships from partner organizations, to support learners from vulnerable backgrounds.
“We have coordinated with county governments to unlock bursary funds, ensuring that learners facing financial challenges can report to school without delay,” said Mr Ogamba.
This comes as the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) urged parents to have confidence in the quality of education their children will receive in senior schools, saying the government has put in place adequate measures to ensure Grade 9 learners access quality education.
“Our teachers are competent to receive learners in Grade Nine and are willing to support your children. I know we have had challenges with CBE education, but I assure parents that our teachers are ready for the system," said TSC acting Chief Executive Officer Evaleen Mitei.
Ms Mitei noted that parents have invested heavily in their children’s education, adding that the Ministry of Education has also committed significant resources to ensure the success of Competency-Based Education (CBE), including training teachers to support a smooth transition from the 8-4-4 system to the new curriculum.
"Our teachers are competent to receive learners in Grade 9 and are willing to support your children. I know we have had challenges with CBE education, but I assure parents that our teachers are ready for the system," she said.
According to Ms Mitei, the country needs more people with technical knowledge to create jobs and address unemployment.
"We use CBE to be innovative, solve problems, create and improve what helps us in life. Learners should therefore exercise their potential and be what they want. That is why we engage learners early so that they pursue their skills," she said.
