The Ministry of Education (MoE) has extended the Grade 10 placement review deadline to January 16, allowing learners additional time to transfer to senior schools of their choice. Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has confirmed. This follows widespread complaints from parents about placements far from home and cases of day schools allocated in distant counties, as well as concerns that some learners were placed below their academic profiles.
Speaking while monitoring Grade 10 admissions at Kamahuha Girls High School in Murang’a County, Ogamba said the placement is being managed through the new Kenya Education Management Information System (KEMIS), operated by a dedicated ICT team and linked to ministry headquarters for approvals.
“The admissions are linked to the headquarters and various approvals made across the board,” he said, adding that the process remains automated and has been smooth for the majority of learners.
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The ministry had initially set January 9 as the deadline for reviewing placements and requesting transfers. With the extension, the CS said learners seeking to move from one school to another will be accommodated through a structured approval process to make the transition seamless.
“Those students who may want to transfer from one school to another are being allowed, and various levels of approvals are being made to make that happen,” Ogamba noted.
He emphasized that the extension is intended to ensure every learner settles into a suitable school ahead of term activities. “We have given them until Friday to make the placement process as seamless as possible and ensure each learner is in their school of choice so learning can progress in two weeks,” he said. Ogamba added that ministry officials worked throughout December to facilitate transfers in line with the government’s 100 per cent transition policy.
Nationally, there are 9,500 senior schools categorized across four main dimensions: academic pathways, accommodation, gender, and special needs, to ensure equitable, responsive placements. The Grade 10 class is the pioneer Competency‑Based Education (CBE) cohort, comprising 1,130,459 learners, marking a significant milestone in the rollout of the new curriculum.
Ogamba said the first student admitted at the institution hails from Kilifi County, underscoring the school’s new national reach. “I’m glad to say that the first student admitted here comes from Kilifi County, which indicates that the school has already taken its position as a national school,” he said.
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The CS further highlighted ongoing government investment in education infrastructure, revealing that 1,600 laboratories are under construction in schools across the country. He said the facilities push is designed to support the CBE pathways and strengthen teaching and learning environments as the pioneer cohort transitions into senior school.
With the extended deadline and KEMIS‑driven approvals in place, the ministry expects transfers to be finalized within the week, easing pressure on families and schools while maintaining compliance with national placement guidelines. Parents were urged to use the online system for all transfer requests and to liaise with school administrations for timely processing.
By Masaki Enock
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