More than 100,000 Grade 10 learners and their parents have applied to have their senior school placements reviewed, indicating significant challenges with the initial allocation process under Kenya’s new Competency-Based Education (CBE) system.
This surge in applications occurred on the first day of the review window, with parents reporting system crashes and concerns over placements in distant or undesirable schools.
Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok acknowledged the technical glitches, attributing them to bandwidth issues, but assured the public that the system was now performing well.
As of December 23, 2025, the Ministry of Education had already approved 2,000 transfers, with thousands more under review.
The review process allows learners to list their preferred school and three additional options, with an automated system matching preferences to performance and available slots.
The Ministry has decentralized the approval process to expedite reviews, with different clusters handled at various administrative levels.
PS Bitok urged patience, emphasizing that the seven-day window, which began on December 23, 2025, is sufficient for addressing all applications.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba encouraged learners dissatisfied with their placements to formally lodge appeals, acknowledging that “this is a new system, there were challenges here and there.”
A total of 1.3 million learners are expected to join Grade 10 in January 2026 as the first cohort under the CBE curriculum.
