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A man re-writes a school’s signpost in Elburgon town, Nakuru County on May 31, 2025. Most secondary school signposts are changed and redesigned ahead of Grade 9 learners’ transition to senior schools in January 2026..
Anxiety is mounting among parents and learners after it emerged that some Grade 10 students were reassigned to different senior schools at the last minute, some without having made any transfer requests, raising serious questions about the integrity of the placement portal.
The Ministry of Education had given learners an opportunity to apply for a review of their initial placement and career pathways between December 23 and December 29, 2025, after which the review process was officially concluded and results made accessible on the placement portal.
However, on Tuesday, December 30, 2025, parents reported difficulties accessing the system, with many unable to log in or download admission letters for their children.
Those who managed to access the portal were shocked to find that the admission letters they downloaded were for schools different from those initially indicated.
Parents and students at Miritini World Bank Primary School in Mombasa, during revision of Grade 10 placement on December 29, 2025.
The confusion affected even parents who had not initiated any transfer requests within the prescribed seven-day review window that began on December 23, 2025.
“What you will do is draft a letter addressed to the Principal Secretary, Basic Education, like others have already done, and bring it here (Jogoo House),” advised an officer identified as Gilbert, whom parents found in Room 722 at Jogoo House, where the Ministry of Education is housed.
Distraught parents have been camping in the corridors of Jogoo House seeking answers over the placement hitch, with time running out as learners are expected to report to school from January 12, 2026.
One by one, anxious parents filed into Gilbert’s office to air their dissatisfaction over their children’s placements, the queue growing longer with each exit.
“Tell the PS that ‘my child was placed at Starehe Boys Centre and now records show he has been posted elsewhere.’ Then attach a copy of your ID and the child’s birth certificate so that you place the request,” the officer told parents.
Parents who spoke to the Nation said it was puzzling that their children had been moved from Cluster 1 schools, formerly national schools, to Cluster 2 institutions, which were formerly extra-county schools.
One parent said she had not sought a review because she was satisfied that her son had been placed at Starehe Boys Centre, only to later discover that he had been posted to Oloolaise High School, a Cluster 2 school in Ngong.
Another parent said she downloaded an admission letter for Mary Hill despite her child having initially been placed at Starehe Girls Centre on the portal.
Yet another parent said their child had been transferred from Starehe Boys Centre to Cardinal Otunga High School, while another who checked the portal found that their child had been placed at Utumishi Boys despite initially being posted to Nairobi School.
“Why did they wait until the portal was closed, only to give me a different school when I download the admission letter, and now it is not possible to make changes?” one parent asked.
Some parents took to social media to express their frustration after the review window closed, voicing concern over the lack of clarity as they remain confused, with no clear explanation or acknowledgement from the Ministry of Education regarding a possible technical discrepancy on the portal.
“I understand your frustration, and that is why I am advising you to draft a letter. I am here receiving all issues touching on placement on behalf of the PS, which will be handed to him because he is the one in charge of the Ministry. These are cases that the ministry will sort out,” insisted Mr Oloo.
The Ministry of Education has announced that it will reopen the portal for further placement reviews from January 6 to January 9, 2026.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said that following the initial placement, the ministry received a total of 355,457 applications for review, with each learner allowed to lodge up to four applications.
“Upon consideration, applications by 211,636 learners have been approved. The other applications have been declined largely due to the absence of the preferred subject combinations or lack of capacity in the selected schools, and the learners have been advised accordingly,” he said in a statement.
He added that 51 per cent of learners have been placed in the STEM pathway, 38 per cent in the Social Sciences pathway, and 11 per cent in the Arts and Sports Science pathway.
