Sambirir Girls Secondary School in Elgeyo Marakwet County has been elevated to national school status after the Ministry of Education (MoE) re-clustered the institution from Cluster 2 to Cluster 1, effective immediately.
In a letter dated April 21, 2026, seen by Education News, the State Department for Basic Education notified the school’s principal and Board of Management that Sambirir Girls had met all the requirements for the upgrade.
The letter, signed by Principal Secretary Amb. Julius K. Bitok stated that the Ministry reviewed the distribution of Cluster 1 schools across the 47 counties and identified Sambirir Girls as qualifying for re-clustering.
According to the Ministry, the school met the required standards for the upgrade due to its broad curriculum, adequate infrastructural capacity, and national student catchment.
“Elevating this school to Cluster 1 status will effectively address the existing regional imbalances and enhance the overall quality of senior school education,” the letter stated.
The upgrade means the school will now admit students from across the country and receive resources and oversight aligned with other national schools in Kenya.
The move is expected to boost access to national-level education for girls in Elgeyo Marakwet and surrounding regions, reducing the need for students to travel long distances to attend top-tier schools.
Sambirir Girls becomes one of the few national girls’ schools in the North Rift region following the re-clustering.
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The school joins St. Patrick’s High School Iten and Moi Kapsowar Girls High School, which hold the same status in the county.
By Philemon Kiprop
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