The alumni associations of Mangu High School and Alliance have reaffirmed their commitment to the country’s national admission policy, following remarks by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua that have sparked widespread debate over secondary school placement.
The Mangu High School Alumni Group and the Alliance
The group also urged the Ministry of Education to address placement challenges without compromising fairness or the national character of schools.
“National schools exist to bring together Kenya’s brightest minds from every county, fostering shared identity and mutual understanding,” the statement read.
Alliance High School alumni echoed similar opinions, describing the debate as healthy when conducted responsibly but cautioning against rhetoric that promotes stereotypes or tribalism.
“The Alumni Group wishes to state clearly that Alliance High School does not belong to any one community, region, or political constituency. Further, Hon. Gachagua has never been a student, parent, or Board member of Alliance High School, and therefore does not speak for the school, its values, or its alumni.”
Both alumni groups called on policymakers, opinion leaders, and stakeholders to engage in constructive dialogue to strengthen the placement process while preserving the integrity of national schools.
They stressed that any reforms should uphold a talent-based system, warning that politicizing admissions could endanger decades of progress in building cohesive national institutions.
Grade 10 Placements Ongoing Concerns and Oversight
Ongoing concerns in Grade 10 placements include misplacements far from learners’ homes, causing financial strain on families.
Allegations of bribery have surfaced, with reports of schools demanding Ksh100,000 to Ksh150,000 to alter placements, despite Ministry warnings that changes are free.
Capacity constraints have also been widely reported, as top schools like Alliance and Mang’u received up to 20,000 review requests against limited slots.
The Ministry has opened a second review window from January 6 to January 9, and promised audits to curb corruption, highliting merit and equity as guiding principles for the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) transition.
High School Old Boys Club, two of Kenya’s most prominent national school alumni groups, separately addressed concerns raised during the ongoing national conversation on whether the current selection system should be changed to favor regional representation.
Speaking at AIPCA Kiratina Church in Githunguri, Kiambu County, on Sunday, January 4, Gachagua wondered why students from outside Mt Kenya were being admitted to schools like Alliance and Mang’u while local candidates with strong grades were sent to lower-ranked institutions.
He described the system as confused and unfair, and linked the controversy to wider problems in the ongoing Grade 10 transition under the Competency-Based Curriculum.
Gachagua further suggested that Mt Kenya students should receive priority in top regional schools, a stance that drew immediate criticism from leaders and education stakeholders, who warned against the ethnic framing of national school placement.
Mangu and Alliance Alumni Respond to Gachagua
In its January 7 statement, Mangu High School Alumni stated that the institution has always operated as a national school, admitting students without regard to ethnicity, religion, or place of birth.
“While we acknowledge the right of leaders to raise concerns on matters of public interest, we wish to firmly and respectfully clarify that Mang’u High School is, and has always been, a national school. By design and by policy, national schools admit students from all parts of the country based on merit and clearly defined quotas that reflect Kenya’s diversity.”
The Mang’u alumni further rejected calls to exclude communities from national schools or to encourage leaders to build their own schools, arguing that such narratives could destroy the education system and erode unity.
By Kenntimes