Parents Furious as Grade 10 School Placements Mysteriously Changed After Portal Closed
Anxiety and anger are mounting among parents and learners after it emerged that some Grade 10 students were reassigned to different senior schools without submitting any transfer requests, sparking questions over the credibility and security of the Ministry of Education’s placement portal.
The controversy follows the conclusion of a seven-day review window that ran from December 23 to December 29, 2025, during which learners were allowed to apply for changes to their initial senior school placement and career pathways. The Ministry of Education had announced that once the window closed, the review process would be final and admission letters would be available for download on the portal.
However, confusion erupted on Tuesday, December 30, when parents reported widespread difficulties accessing the system. Many said they were unable to log in, while others could not download admission letters for their children.
Those who eventually gained access were stunned to find that the admission letters reflected schools that were different from the ones originally displayed on the portal. The changes affected even families who had not lodged any review or transfer request within the prescribed period.
Parents say the unexplained alterations have left them distressed, with reporting dates for senior schools fast approaching. Learners are expected to report to their respective institutions from January 12, 2026.
Several parents converged at Jogoo House in Nairobi, which houses the Ministry of Education, seeking urgent clarification. Distraught families were seen lining the corridors, clutching documents and waiting to be attended to as uncertainty over their children’s futures deepened.
An officer identified as Gilbert, who parents said was operating from Room 722, advised them to formally write to the Principal Secretary for Basic Education.
“What you will do is draft a letter addressed to the Principal Secretary, Basic Education, like others have already done, and bring it here,” he told parents.
According to those present, parents were being instructed to outline their grievances in writing, attach copies of their national ID cards and their children’s birth certificates, and submit the documents for review.
“Tell the PS that ‘my child was placed at Starehe Boys Centre and now records show he has been posted elsewhere,’ then attach the required documents so that you place the request,” the officer explained.
Parents who spoke about their ordeal said the situation was particularly baffling because some learners appeared to have been downgraded from Cluster 1 schools—formerly national schools—to Cluster 2 institutions, previously categorised as extra-county schools, without any explanation.
One parent said she had not applied for a review because she was satisfied with her son’s placement at Starehe Boys Centre, only to later discover that he had been reassigned to Oloolaise High School in Ngong.
Another parent said she downloaded an admission letter for Mary Hill High School despite the portal initially showing that her child had been placed at Starehe Girls Centre.
Elsewhere, parents reported transfers from Starehe Boys Centre to Cardinal Otunga High School, while another family said their child had been moved to Utumishi Boys High School despite originally being placed at Nairobi School.
“Why did they wait until the portal was closed, only to give me a different school when I download the admission letter, and now it is not possible to make changes?” one frustrated parent asked.
The issue quickly spilled onto social media, where parents voiced their anger and confusion, accusing the ministry of failing to communicate clearly and questioning whether a technical fault or unauthorised interference had occurred on the portal.
“I understand your frustration, and that is why I am advising you to draft a letter,” another ministry official, identified as Mr Oloo, told parents. “I am here receiving all issues touching on placement on behalf of the PS. These are cases that the ministry will sort out.”
In response to the growing outcry, the Ministry of Education has announced that the placement portal will be reopened for further reviews from January 6 to January 9, 2026, offering affected families a chance to seek redress.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said the ministry had received an overwhelming number of applications following the initial placement exercise.
“Following the initial placement, the ministry received a total of 355,457 applications for review, with each learner allowed to lodge up to four applications,” he said in a statement.
“Upon consideration, applications by 211,636 learners have been approved. The other applications have been declined largely due to the absence of the preferred subject combinations or lack of capacity in the selected schools, and the learners have been advised accordingly.”
Mr Ogamba added that 51 per cent of learners had been placed in the STEM pathway, 38 per cent in the Social Sciences pathway, and 11 per cent in the Arts and Sports Science pathway.
Despite the assurances, many parents remain uneasy, warning that unless the unexplained changes are urgently addressed, the placement scandal risks undermining confidence in the country’s education transition system at a critical moment for thousands of learners.
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Parents Furious as Grade 10 School Placements Mysteriously Changed After Portal Closed