Form One selection: Over 1 million candidates to join secondary school of choice

Education CS George Magoha when he visited St. George’s Secondary School in Nairobi. [Wilberforce Okwiri/Standard]

Education Cabinet Secretary Prof George Magoha is not one to mince his words.

While releasing the Form One admission results this morning, Magoha sent warning shots to the selection committee and school principals who will turn away needy students for failure of school fees.

“I, Magoha son of Magoha, shall do a post mortem physical audit and only God will save you if you ignore a needy child and support a child whose family could have supported them,” he said.

He asked the committee to give priority to orphaned children and those with no fees.

“Do not turn away any child from school for lack of school fees. Kwani hiyo pesa ni yako? (Does that money belong to you?),” he strongly posed.

Magoha has also called on members of the public to report cases of learners who fail to join Form One, whilst pleading with candidates who fell pregnant and delivered during the exam period not to shy away from joining secondary school as well.

According to the report released on Monday, 95 per cent of the candidates have been admitted to a school of their choice.

“The team was looking at a ‘faceless Kenyan child’. No child was given a school they did not apply for,” the CS added.

A total of 1, 083, 456 sat for the KCPE exam whose results were released on November 18.

Of those, 1, 075, 201 have been placed in secondary schools, excluding inmates, overage candidates and refugees in camps.

CS Magoha said that this year’s selection has met the 100 per cent transition policy in line with Article 53 (1) of the Kenyan Constitution.

Pangani Girls attracted 111, 817 entries but only has a capacity of 336 spaces, while Alliance High School and Kenya high attracted 83, 489 and 49, 307 entries respectively.