Schools Without Grade 10 Enrolment Could Face Closure, Government Warns

Kenya, January 20 2026 - The government has issued a blunt warning to secondary schools that have failed to attract any Grade 10 students, saying institutions with zero enrolment could be shut down as education reforms gather pace.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said the threat of closure reflects a student-led placement system that leaves little room for intervention where schools attract no interest at all.

Speaking during a radio interview on Tuesday, Ogamba noted that the Ministry of Education does not assign learners to schools but merely facilitates their choices under the new senior school structure.

“Some schools are saying they have not received a single applicant. The policy is that students choose schools; the ministry does not choose schools for students. If no student has chosen your school, what can the ministry do? There are things we must do differently. Some schools will have to be closed,” he said.

The warning comes amid rising concern over uneven enrolment patterns, with a small group of elite institutions attracting overwhelming demand while dozens of others struggle to fill classrooms. According to Ogamba, this imbalance is fuelling congestion in top schools and leaving many facilities underutilised.

He revealed that the government is considering devolving high-demand schools, including some national schools, to county management as part of a broader plan to spread quality education more evenly across the country.

“50,000 students want to join a school that can only admit 700 learners. What is so difficult about reproducing 1,450 schools of this nature in our wards so that every ward has a school with the facilities and standards of the institutions everyone wants to attend? We will ensure there are super schools in every ward,” Ogamba said.