Moving a Child to a New School Without Losing Term Time

Families move. A parent finds work in another town, a child goes to live with a grandmother after a death in the family, or rent in one estate becomes too much and the household shifts across Ruiru. When that happens, the child has to change schools, and too often the move is made in a hurry, in the middle of a term, with nobody quite sure what papers the new school will want.

A badly handled transfer can leave a child at home for weeks while adults argue about a missing letter or a learner record that will not move. This article explains what changes behind the scenes when a child moves school in Kenya today, what the law says about admission, and the practical steps that keep a child in a classroom.

Every learner now has a record that follows them

Public and private schools in Kenya keep each learner's details in a national education database. For years this was NEMIS, the National Education Management Information System, where each learner was given a Unique Personal Identifier, usually called the UPI number.

The Ministry of Education is replacing NEMIS with KEMIS, the Kenya Education Management Information System. The Star reported in May 2025 that KEMIS would bring learner records from nursery to university into one platform, with each learner keeping a single identifier for their whole education. In 2026 the Ministry tied registration on KEMIS to school funding: Kenyans.co.ke reported in June 2026 that Term Three capitation would be paid through KEMIS, and Education News reported that a circular dated 29 July 2026 from the Principal Secretary for Basic Education set 31 August 2026 as the deadline for schools to register and validate their learners. Some official documents now describe the number as a Unique Learner Identifier rather than a UPI. Whatever it is called at your school, it is the same idea: one number that belongs to your child.

Why this matters to a parent is simple. Because government money for a school follows the learners it has on the system, the new school will want your child's record moved across, not created afresh. Under KEMIS, as guides to the system published in 2026 describe it, the old school releases the learner and the new school then admits them using the learner's number or assessment number. If the old school has not released the record, the new school may hesitate. That is the snag families most often run into.

The system is still being rolled out and the steps can change. Treat what follows as a guide, and ask the head teacher or the Sub-County Director of Education's office to confirm what applies now.

What the law says about admission

The Basic Education Act, 2013 is clear on a few points that are worth knowing before you walk into a new school.

• Section 34(5): "No child shall be denied admission to a public school."
• Section 33(2): no child shall be denied admission for lack of proof of age. The birth certificate is the normal proof, but not having it is not a lawful reason to turn a child away.
• Section 32: no person admitting a child to a public school may collect an admission fee.
• Section 29: public schools may not charge Kenyan parents tuition fees.
• Section 34(6) and (7): a parent whose child is denied admission to a public school may notify the County Education Board, and the Board must review the school's decision.

None of this means a school has space in every class, and other charges, such as boarding costs or items a school asks parents to provide, are a separate matter. But it does mean that a missing document should slow a transfer down, not stop a child's schooling.

Before you leave the old school

The single most useful thing you can do is go and see the head teacher of the old school in person, before the child stops attending if you possibly can.

• Tell the school where the child is going. Give the name of the new school if you know it. Ask the head teacher to release the learner on the education system so the new school can pick up the record.
• Write down the learner's number. Ask for the UPI or learner identifier and, for a learner who has sat national assessments, the KNEC assessment number. Write them on paper and keep a photo on your phone.
• Ask for a transfer or leaving letter. A short signed letter on school letterhead, giving the child's name, class, admission number and the date they left, helps the new school even when most of the process is online.
• Collect the child's progress records. Report forms and assessment records show the new teacher where the child is and avoid repeating work.
• Settle what you can about any balance. If there is an amount owed for meals, a trip or boarding, discuss it openly with the head teacher. A family under pressure can ask for time to pay. A child's learning record is not something to bargain over, and if a record is held back, the Sub-County Director of Education is the person to ask for help.

At the new school

Take the child with you and carry a small folder with:

• the child's birth certificate, or a copy, if they have one;
• the learner number and assessment number written down;
• the transfer or leaving letter and the latest report form;
• your own national ID card, since schools record the parent or guardian's ID number on the learner's record;
• if you are not the child's parent, something that explains why the child lives with you, such as a letter from the chief.

Ask the new school to confirm, before you leave, that the child has been admitted on the system and not only in the class register. If the old school has not yet released the record, ask the new head teacher to let the child attend while the two schools sort it out, and leave your phone number with both.

If the child does not have a birth certificate, do not wait for it before seeking a place. Education News has reported that schools can register a learner temporarily while a birth certificate is processed. Start the application at the same time: Birth Certificates and Why a Child Needs One explains how.

When the move follows a loss

Many transfers we hear about happen because a parent has died or fallen ill and a child has moved to a relative's home. Then the move is about much more than paperwork. Tell the new class teacher, briefly and privately, what the child has been through, so that silence or anger in class is met with patience rather than punishment. Keeping a Child in School After a Parent Dies and Grief in a Household with Children may help.

A short checklist

• See the old head teacher in person and ask for the learner to be released on the system.
• Write down the UPI or learner identifier and the KNEC assessment number.
• Get a signed transfer or leaving letter and the latest report form.
• Carry the birth certificate, your ID and a chief's letter if you are a guardian.
• Confirm the child is admitted on the system at the new school.
• If a public school refuses admission, contact the Sub-County Director of Education and, if needed, the County Education Board.

Where we fit

Lift A Life Foundation is a community based organisation in Ruiru, registered with the County Government of Kiambu, certificate RSC/3811/CBO/2024. We cannot place a child in a school or speak for the Ministry. What we can do is help a parent or guardian work out which documents they have, go with them to the school or the education office, and follow up until the child is back in class. If that would help, contact us. If you would like to support this kind of work, you can donate or get involved.