Capacity Limits Lock 60,000 Students Out of Dream Schools

Kenya, December 28 2025 - More than 60,000 Kenyan families have been left disappointed after the Ministry of Education declined thousands of student transfer requests following the release of the 2025 Kenya Junior Secondary Education Assessment (KJSEA) results, citing severe shortages in school capacity.

Education officials say the problem is not performance, but pressure on a small number of elite institutions. Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok explained that the majority of transfer applications targeted fewer than 20 top-tier senior schools, which are already operating at full capacity.

“Over 50,000 learners are competing for places in about 20 schools. That is simply impossible to accommodate,” Bitok said in an interview on Saturday.

According to ministry figures, 183,000 transfer requests were processed after Grade 10 placements were released. Of these, 116,000 were approved, while about 66,000 were rejected due largely to infrastructure limits and class size regulations. The placement system, the ministry insists, is fully automated and considers student performance, individual preferences, psychometric assessments, equity principles and available space in each school.

For affected learners and parents, the rejection has been an emotional blow, particularly for those hoping to move closer to home or secure places in highly ranked boarding schools. The ministry has advised unsuccessful applicants to submit fresh appeals in the first week of January, when alternative schools will be proposed.

Students whose transfer requests were approved can download their admission letters from Sunday, December 28, ahead of reporting to senior secondary schools on January 12.