Secondary school principals have urged the Ministry of Education to abandon the current centralised admissions model and reinstate the school-led process, citing confusion, technical failures and lack of transparency in the ongoing Grade 10 placements.
The Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (KESSHA) chairperson, Willie Kuria, says the Kenya Education Management Information System (KEMIS) has left learners assigned to schools without consideration of their scores or backgrounds, sparking frustration among parents and educators. Schools are only receiving names of students, with no access to academic profiles or regional distribution data. Parents have also complained that some learners were moved to different institutions without requesting transfers.
Kuria said the former system, using the NEMIS portal, was more transparent and ensured regional balance.
“Previously, we knew the students we were admitting, including their results and where they came from. For instance, a candidate from Kisauni could be admitted to Murang’a High School, ensuring a national melting pot. Now, we are only receiving names. We do not know their scores or their backgrounds,” he told the Daily Nation.
Unlike past years, principals currently have no access to the Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) results of learners placed in their institutions.
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Kuria warned that merit may not have been followed, noting cases where high-performing students were placed in Cluster Four (C4) schools, formerly sub-county institutions. He revealed that his own Grade 9 child, who scored 67 points, was placed in a local day school, but attempts to request a review failed due to system errors.
Parents seeking to challenge placements have also reported glitches that blocked the process, even in clear cases of mismatch. In response, the Ministry of Education announced that the portal for revisions will reopen on January 6, 2026, allowing students to select preferred schools.
KESSHA has proposed a hybrid model where parents can approach schools directly to seek vacancies, which would then be uploaded into KEMIS for ministry approval.
“The Ministry should revert to the old system where parents could seek vacancies and principals could feed that data into the portal with approval from the Ministry. If 100 students placed in your school don’t show up, we should be allowed to fill those spaces,” Kuria said.
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Principals also raised concerns that unclear placement rules could compromise standards at top-tier schools. Kuria said parents are anxious and in the dark about the process, with some already calling schools to book slots for January admission. He dismissed claims that principals demand bribes for admission, insisting that any money requested from parents is strictly governed by Board of Management approvals and backed by receipts. “We want students in our schools because, after all, there is capacity. How do you engage in corruption when you are actually looking for students?” he added.
Ahead of the January 12 school opening, principals and stakeholders have called for urgent reforms to address funding shortfalls, staffing gaps and uncertainty in rolling out the new education structure. Among their demands are increased funding for primary, secondary and universities, solutions to junior secondary challenges, confirmation of intern teachers and clarity on the transition to senior secondary.
By Masaki Enock
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