Massification of tertiary education and its inequality in Kenya: A case study of top students from a rural day secondary school.

Even with enhanced secondary education in Africa, a large number of secondary school graduates lack decent work opportunities and end up pursuing tertiary education. However, Africa struggles to provide tertiary education to meet the increasing demand. This study focuses on graduates from a day secondary school in a rural area in western Kenya. Students from vulnerable backgrounds, even with high academic achievements, are forced to join government-appointed universities, even if they are unpopular and low in quality. In contrast, students from privileged backgrounds access popular universities even if their achievements are not comparable with government-sponsored students. • This study focuses on graduates from a day secondary school in a rural area in western Kenya. • Kenya has registered one of the fastest growths in terms of educational opportunities. • This paper qualitatively reveals how difficult it is for poor students to progress to tertiary education. • For poor students, money, instead of academic achievement, can be a qualification to access to better education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]