Saboti Member of Parliament (MP) Caleb Amisi has questioned the effectiveness of Kenya’s high school placement system after claiming that a section of parents of the 2025 Kenya Junior Secondary Education Assessment (KJSEA) candidates are flooding his inbox seeking help in getting senior secondary slots.

Taking to his official X account on Friday, January 2, 2025, Amisi revealed that his inbox has been inundated with desperate messages from parents seeking help to secure vacancies for their children in prestigious schools such as Nairobi School, Alliance High School, Lenana School, Starehe Boys’ Centre, Kenya High School, Moi Girls Eldoret, Mang’u High School, Maseno School, Kabarak High School, Loreto schools, Kapsabet Boys and St Joseph’s Kitale, among others.

“Hi Mwesh, Happy New Year and good evening. Kindly help me secure a vacancy for my son/ daughter at Nairobi school, Lenana, Alliance, Starehe Boys, Moi Girls Kamusinga, Mangu, Loreto, Kabsabet high, Kenya high, Maseno, Kabarak, St Joseph, etc. He/she scored – points. These messages are bombarding my inbox every hour,” Amisi stated.

Seamless placement system

The second-term ODM lawmaker questioned what had happened to the seamless placement system that was meant to match students to secondary schools fairly and transparently.

Drawing from personal experience, Amisi recalled that when he joined Starehe Boys’ Centre in 2001, the placement process was more predictable and less stressful for parents and candidates.

“What happened to the seamless placement to High school that I left when I joined Starehe Boys Centre in 2001?? Why is the Ministry of Education leaving parents alone in the streets searching for schools for their kids who performed well? Kenya needs a renaissance!” he wrote on X.

Ruto’s assurance

Amisi’s concerns come just days after President William Ruto reassured Kenyan parents and students that every child will have the opportunity to join senior school in January 2026.

Speaking on Sunday, December 28, 2025, during a church service at the Covenant Church International (CCI), Narok County, as it marked its 20th anniversary, Ruto emphasised that the government has released Ksh44 billion to ensure smooth placement and funding for all students.

The Head of State further warned that political interference will not be tolerated in the education sector.

“I want to tell those people who are introducing small politics and unnecessary propaganda into the education of our children, I am telling them to keep off. Watu ambao wako na siasa na fitina ndogo ndogo, madalali wa siasa bure, wanataka kuingiza watoto wetu kwa siasa ambayo haina maana, nataka niwaeleze watafute mahali pengine ya kupeleka siasa,” Ruto said.