Ministry of Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has announced the opening of a second seven-day review window for Grade 9 learners to verify and adjust their senior school placements ahead of the transition to Grade 10.
Speaking during the commissioning of Shanzu Senior School in Mombasa, CS Ogamba assured parents that learners wishing to change schools will be accommodated. At the same time, ministry teams continue to address challenges in the placement system.
The new review window, scheduled to run from Tuesday, January, to Friday, January 9, 2026, will allow parents and learners to apply for transfers to alternative institutions, subject to space availability.
As the new school year approaches, parents across the country are rushing to secure suitable schools for their children entering Grade 10. The placement announcements have sparked anxiety among many families, with some learners assigned to day schools located far from their homes.
Several parents have already begun submitting requests for placement revisions, citing difficult economic conditions as their primary concern.
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With the Cabinet Secretary now opening a second review window, parents are hopeful for another opportunity to secure better placements for their children.
CS Ogamba urged parents to seek assistance from school heads and ministry support teams to submit their applications before the window closes, emphasizing the need to act swiftly ahead of the January 12 reporting date.
The announcement of the second review window follows the conclusion of the first revision process, which drew massive interest from parents and learners nationwide.
During the initial review period, the ministry received a total of 355,457 applications, of which 211,636 were approved while the remainder were declined.
According to the Cabinet Secretary, rejected applications were primarily turned down due to the absence of preferred subject combinations at the requested schools or insufficient capacity in the selected institutions.
"Learners were allowed the opportunity to apply for review of the initial placement from 23rd December, 2025," Ogamba explained.
The CS revealed that some of the country's most sought-after schools received overwhelming numbers of transfer requests that far exceeded their capacity.
"There were, for example, up to 20,000 applications for schools like Alliance High School, Kenya High School, and Mangu High School, against an average capacity of 500 slots," he noted.
Despite the challenges, the ministry reported that 88 per cent of all learners have been placed in line with their original or revised selections, indicating a relatively successful placement exercise overall.
All learners are expected to report to their respective senior schools starting from January 12, 2026.
