Poverty locks out thousands of Grade 10 learners as deadline nears

Parents accompany students awaits admission to Grade 10 on January 14, 2026. [Sammy Omingo, Standard] One week after senior secondary school admission officially kicked off, thousands of Grade 10 learners from vulnerable households remain stranded at home. Their dreams hanging in the balance despite excelling in the Kenya Junior Secondary Education Assessment (KJSEA). Across the country, the painful stories of children who passed their assessment, were competitively placed in national and extra-county schools, but whose families cannot afford the cost of reporting. For 15-year-old Albina Nekesa Swaka, the joy of scoring 65 points at Langata Primary School and securing a place at Butere Girls High School has quickly turned into despair. The total cost of reporting, including Sh53,550 in fees and shopping, is far beyond what her family can raise. "We have tried all scholarship programmes without success. Our hope is now on the future," Nekesa said. Her voice betraying the fear of losing her slot in one of the country's top girls' schools and her dream of pursuing the STEM pathway. Her mother Melisa Were is facing the painful reality of keeping her son at home after failing to raise school fees required for senior secondary school admission, highlighting the growing crisis facing thousands of families across the country. "We live hand to mouth from the meagre earnings I get from cleaning. It is not even guaranteed you will get work the following day. Every day, we just take it as it comes," she said. Langata Primary School headteacher Pamela Obiero said the school had done everything within its means to support Nekesa through primary and junior secondary school, but the burden has now overwhelmed them. "Our ability has been stretched. We invite any well-wisher to stand in the gap for this girl to realise her potential," Obiero appealed. Similar desperation confronts Mitchele Adhiambo Otieno, who scored 68 points at Heidemarie Mathare North Primary School and was placed at Limuru Girls High School. "She comes from a single-parent family. Her mother currently stays with her sister, who is a mama fua in Eastleigh," a village elder said, adding that there is little hope the family can raise the required fees before the deadline lapses. Martha Wanjiru, 16, is living with the haunting possibility of staying home as her peers transition to Grade 10. She scored 68 points in KJSEA, topping her class and earning a coveted slot at Alliance Girls High School. With Wednesday, January 21, set as the final reporting day, Wanjiru's father, Daniel Muchoki, a small-scale trader at Gikomba Market, struggled to hold back tears. "I have been pushing myself, but business has been very difficult. I was once robbed while servicing a loan, which made things worse. Every day I hope something will change," he said. In Mwingi, Niserah Kiambi Mbuvi scored 66 points and was admitted to Muthale Girls Secondary School, only to be turned away after reporting with her mother's last Sh2,000 against a required Sh53,000. Her mother, Mary Mathuva, a single parent, suffers from injuries caused by a cobra bite that left her unable to work consistently. Niserah also missed out on the Elimu Scholarship after assessors assumed her family was well-off because she attended a private primary school-unaware she had been on a scholarship. Matungulu girls Senior School principal Juliana Musaba note that some schools' heads are forced to admit students depending on level of need. "The girls are bright but the families are unable to pay fees. Some have come in with totally nothing. We weighed in cases and admitted them, hoping that well-wishers will come to support them," Musaba said. Cecilia Kerubo, a topped from Kitutu Masaba, scoring 68 points and selected to join AIC Litein Girls National School. However, she is stranded at home, unable to afford the school fees and requirements. Education stakeholders say these cases are not isolated. They reflect a national crisis unfolding quietly beneath the government's 100 per cent transition policy. According to Ministry of Education data, by the end of the first week only about 550,000 out of 1.13 million placed learners had been captured in the admissions portal. Nearly 400,000 learners remained unaccounted for, prompting the ministry to extend the reporting deadline to Wednesday, January 21, 2026. While national schools are recording turnout above 90 per cent, extra-county schools are at about 50 per cent, and sub-county schools lagging below 40 per cent. As the admissions window narrows, education stakeholders warn that without urgent intervention, many deserving learners risk losing their places not due to poor performance, but deepening poverty. According to National Parents Association chairman Silas Obuhatsa, for many families, finances are the main barrier. "You can see majority of cases are from struggling parents. Given opportunity, the learners are ready to change their families' lifestyle," said Obuhatsa. Obuhatsa noted that beyond official school fees, parents say they are required to pay for uniforms, bedding, textbooks and subject-specific equipment, pushing the cost of reporting by between Sh20,000 and Sh50,000. "We are seeing parents selling cows, goats and even parcels of land, but prices are extremely low. A cow that could fetch Sh40,000 now goes for Sh15,000. This is not refusal to take children to school; it is sheer inability," said Obuhatsa. Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESSHA) chairman Willie Kuria said school principals are caught between policy and reality. "We are under instructions to admit learners, but schools also rely on fees to operate. What we are urging is flexibility-allow children to report as payment plans and bursaries are pursued," he said. The Ministry of Education has now initiated a mop up exercise to ensure 100 percent transition. Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said the ministry is working with county governments to unlock bursary funds, including NG-CDF allocations, and has directed chiefs and local administrators to trace learners who have not reported. "We are confident that by the end of this process all students will be placed. We shall have 100 per cent transition because we have enough spaces," he said, noting that Category Four schools have the largest capacity. Usawa Agenda Director Dr Emmanuel Manyasa said although the Cluster 1 and 2 have posted good enrolment, majority are giving out slots for needy families. "Many of the admissions in Cluster 1 and 2 have been occupied by well-endowed families. When less fortunate students delay in taking up their slots, it is given out to those from stable households," Dr Manyasa said. He warns that unless urgent interventions are rolled out, a generation of bright learners risks losing an entire academic year. "Thus why we end up with Grade E in national schools and As in Sub county schools."

Poverty locks out thousands of Grade 10 learners as deadline nears

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Poverty locks out thousands of Grade 10 learners as deadline nears

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