The parents and guardians are now reviewing the Senior School placement results, with focus shifting to the appeal process.
The revision window opens on Tuesday, December 23, 2025, for families seeking changes.
Parents nationwide are questioning why their Grade 9 candidates were not placed in their preferred schools.
They are curious about the steps to take to request changes under the new Competency-Based Education (CBE) placement system.
The placement results have been confusing, especially among parents accustomed to the former KCPE-based model.
Many learners were placed in schools outside their priority choices or in institutions not initially expected.
The Ministry of Education (MoE) has said that the results reflect a deliberate shift in placement philosophy, drifting from ranking and cut-off points toward pathway alignment, equity and school capacity.
Unlike the old system, placement for the pioneer Grade 10 cohort was conducted using a fully automated fairness formula.
During placement, MoE emphasised regional balance, school capacity, gender equity, and the availability of pathway-specific facilities, alongside learner performance.
Thus, even high-performing learners were not guaranteed places in highly subscribed national or extra-county schools.
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Parents who believe the placement does not suit their child may now submit an appeal once the revision window opens on December 23, 2025.
Appeals must follow an official process and cannot be initiated online by parents.
To begin the process, parents must visit the Headteacher of the Junior Secondary School (JSS) where the learner sat the Grade 9 assessment.
The Headteacher is the only authorised person to log in to the Kenya Education Management Information System (KEMIS) portal to apply for a transfer or request a pathway change on behalf of the learner.
Education officials caution that transfers are only possible if the target school has formally declared a vacancy through the County Director of Education.
The KEMIS system allows the head of schools to view, in real time, which schools still have available slots.
Key deadlines and rules
The reporting date for Grade 10 learners is January 12, 2026, and all revision requests must be finalised at least two weeks before this date.
Parents are advised to exercise caution, as each learner is allowed only one placement revision. Once a new placement letter is generated, the decision becomes final and irreversible.
All approved changes must be captured in the KEMIS system, and placement letters must be printed exclusively from the portal.
Under this new curriculum, a less well-known school with strong laboratories, workshops, studios, or sports facilities aligned with a learner’s chosen track may offer better long-term outcomes than a highly competitive institution stretched beyond capacity.
Parents are encouraged to act early, follow the official process, and make decisions that support learners’ long-term growth and development rather than short-term disappointment.
By Joseph Mambili
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