Secondary school principals have had to make drastic measures to accommodate hundreds of new Form 1 students from the last cohort that sat the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education exam in 2023.
The school heads are setting up more class streams, expanding boarding facilities and making adjustments to meal budgets to satisfy swelling numbers of learners.
According to the Ministry of Education, some 1,406,557 pupils sat the KCPE exams in 2023. This was nearly 173,000 more compared to the 1,233,852 candidates in 2022.
The government has said every student must be placed in a secondary school because the KCPE exams have been scrapped.
However, school teachers said little or no investment in facilities was made in anticipation of the surge in the number of Form 1s.
On Monday, the Star spoke to several school heads about their level of preparedness in resources for the increased enrolment.
In Nairobi county, Jamhuri High School Deputy Principal David Mwai said he expected nearly 50 per cent more learners compared to 2023.
"Last year, we admitted 400 learners in Form 1. This year we had to take in 600 learners. This is the highest intake we have ever done," he said.
Mwai said the school had bought more desks and beds, and expanded dormitories but expected that there would still be congestion in the institution.
"We have the Infrastructure Fund from the government. We have brought in more desks. If you check at our assembly ground we have just brought in new desks for these students," Mwai said.
“We have tried to prepare ourselves in advance so we can accommodate them,” he added.
Mwai said the Infrastructure Fund is from the capitation that was granted in 2023. He said they were converting some more rooms into boarding facilities.
The management has also resolved to increase class streams to 10 from the current eight. With 600 learners and 10 streams, each class will have 60 learners.
"Our classes are big, but definitely the facilities will be squeezed," he said.
Mwai said the school is also grappling with how to increase the food rations.
"The main issue is actually the fact that the food items are currently more costly," the principal said.
The situation was similar at Nairobi School, where principal Casper Maina said they expected to admit 650 learners. In 2023 the institution admitted 570 learners.
"They are many and the pressure is a lot this year, much more than last year," Maina said.
He said the institution planned to expand available facilities to meet the needs of the students.
"We will have to stretch, and think of expanding. We will never have enough of these facilities."
Maina said the current 12 streams per class would not be sufficient so they would have to increase them to either 13 or 14 to accommodate the Form 1s.
He said they were buying more beds and desks to cater for the new students.
"The pressure cuts all over. It is not just in Nairobi School. Most schools in the country are feeling this," he said.
Maina said the institution has a commitment from President William Ruto to support the school’s plan to expand facilities.
"The head of state was here the other day. We did appeal for help and hope it will be forthcoming," the principal said.
Elsewhere, in the western county of Bungoma, Kolanya Boys High School principal Albert Masiolo said his situation was not different.
Masiolo said the school admitted 443 learners into Form 1 in 2023 and the number has risen to 486 in 2024.
"This will cause some pressure if all of them are able to report. We also look at it in terms of the capacity left by Form 4s. Some 268 Form 4s graduated last year compared to the 486 new learners we are expecting," he said.
Masiola said he would be forced to look for more desks and chairs to accommodate the learners.
"Luckily for us, there are some classes which were built for CBC which are free," he said.
In neighbouring Busia county, Kwangamor High principal Alfred Sisela said they expected 400 learners in 2023 but only 230 reported. This year he was expecting 500 learners.
"If all learners report we shall have enough classes because there were those constructed for CBC and they've not been occupied," Sisela said. A day school, Kwangamor high would not need more dormitories and beds.
At St Paul's Igara in Nambale, Busia, principal Eugine Ojiambo was expecting 150 new learners.
"At 150 that means I'll need three streams. Currently I have two streams. What will save the situation are the CBC classes that were built for Junior Secondary School (JSS)," he said.
Enough classrooms for all
Basic Education PS Belio Kipsang has said there are enough classrooms to accommodate the increased population.
"When JSS was to go to secondary schools we built 10,000 classrooms. That is what will give us capacity to accommodate more learners," Belio said.
He noted that 70 per cent of the learners are in day schools.
Belio said the focus for day schools is classrooms and tuition fees only.
Education CS Ezekiel Machogu urged that parents embrace day schools.
"The problem we have is not [about] capacity. The problem is [that] a number of us want only specific schools. Every parent wants a national or extra-county school yet there is space in day schools," he said.
The PS and CS spoke on Wednesday when presiding over the award of 1,000 scholarships by KCB Foundation.
"People should change their attitude and know that our children are able to perform [well] even in day schools."
Machogu said the ministry was monitoring the situation as Form 1s continued reporting for the new term.