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.
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The proposed changes, he explained, are intended to reduce long-distance travel for learners, ease pressure on a handful of prestigious schools, and ensure students can access quality education closer to home. Implementation will be gradual, starting with counties that recorded the highest demand for national school placements.
While management of some top-performing schools may be devolved, Ogamba stressed that national standards would remain intact through strict oversight and adequate funding.
His remarks have unsettled school heads in institutions reporting low turnout, with fears of closures, staff redeployment and reduced funding growing. Some principals, particularly in rural areas, argue that the curriculum is uniform nationwide and that enrollment choices are driven more by perception than actual school quality.
At the same time, the government is pushing to meet its target of a 100 per cent transition to Grade 10. Ogamba said the current admission rate stands at about 75 per cent but expressed confidence it would rise above 90 per cent before the admission deadline on Wednesday, January 21.
He added that the ministry is addressing key barriers to enrolment, including school fees, uniforms and related costs, while supporting door-to-door campaigns to encourage learners to report to school.

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