This archive report was first published on 17 July 2019.
On July 17, 2019, members of the Kenya E Graders Association, a group of students who scored an E in their Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), protested in the city centre, claiming they had been discriminated against in the National Youth Service (NYS) recruitment for the third time.
The association, which was formed in 2015, has 38 members who scored E in their KCSE. To join, one is required to pay Sh200 for lifetime membership.
Chairman Ayub Simba Njagi, who also unveiled the new uniform of the association, lamented the exclusion of E-grade students from the NYS recruitment. He insisted that those who scored an E should not be discriminated against and that the uniform symbolized their completion of the required learning process.
The uniform, which cost Njagi around Sh8,000, consists of a green pullover, white shirt, school necktie, half trousers with blue and grey legs, black shoes, and a backpack.
Njagi, who sat for his KCSE in 2011, emphasized that the colours of the uniform reflect the current system of education and that all members have gone through this system.
