D-Day as 450,000 candidates await KCSE results release

Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi

Nearly 100,000 places are up for grabs in public universities and middle-level colleges as candidates who sat last year's Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination receive their results Tuesday.

Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi is set to release the results of the over 450,000 candidates.

Statistics from the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) indicate that there are only 60,000 vacancies in public universities and 40,000 openings in Government-run diploma colleges.

However, in an effort to absorb more students, KUCCPS acting Chief Executive Officer John Muraguri Monday said the available vacancies could be adjusted once universities and middle-level colleges complete the ongoing declaration of capacities.

The minimum entry requirement to the 22-chartered public universities and nine constituent colleges is grade C+ (plus) but due to constraints in bed capacity, the institutions limit admissions.

And as was the case with release of Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) last year, there will be no ranking of performance of candidates and schools in line with the Government policy to abolish the tradition.

Candidates have been advised to access their grades by sending short text message to 22252.

University placement

KUCCPS hopes to complete placement by July so that universities and colleges can admit the new students by September.

And those who score C- (minus) and above shall qualify to join any of the diploma courses offered in the 51 Government-run colleges.

Only universities registered by the Commission for University Education (CUE) and colleges registered by the Technical Education and Training Authority (Tiveta) will be eligible for placement.

Mr Muraguri said placement to universities and colleges shall be transparent and based on known criteria. He allayed fears that the ban on candidates and schools ranking would affect placement to universities.

"All candidates who qualify for their respective courses shall have an equal chance to be placed on those programs based on their choices and merit," he explained.

Muraguri said affirmative action based on gender, persons with disability and marginalised regions shall apply during placement process.

Last year's cut off point was lowered to B- (minus) of 58 points for female students and grade B of 60 points for male students.

According to 2013 KCSE results analysis by KUCCPS, some 121,654 candidates scored grade C+ and above. Of these, 2,690 scored A (plain), 8,837 scored A- (minus), 15,276 scored B+, 22,097 scored B (plain) and another 27,715 scored B- (minus). Some 34,323 scored grade C+.

Muraguri said of 4,000 candidates who sat the 2013 KCSE and placed in universities and colleges using affirmative action, 3,227 female candidates benefited from lowering of entry grade by two points.

He said another 1,064 candidates from marginalised areas were considered on affirmative action and 161 candidates by gender.

Muraguri also disclosed that 72 candidates who sat 2013 KCSE were allocated places in universities and colleges on disability criteria.

Affirmative action

He said the placement shall kick off once the Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) submits "clean data" to KUCCPS.

"We hope that placement shall be completed by July and respective institutions shall contact their students in August. Admission should be done in September," he said.

He, however, said the process will strictly be based on merit, applicants choices, and affirmative action.

"Applicants (universities and colleges) must meet the approved minimum admission requirements and students must also meet the minimum admission requirements for each degree and diploma," he said.

He said candidates whose results shall be released today can revise their courses depending on their choice and performance.

"Applicants not placed after first revision may be requested to apply for programmes, which may not have attracted adequate number of applicants," said Muraguri.

And candidates who may not have qualified for any of their programs of choice will be placed in any other program that they are eligible for.

KUCCPS replaced the Joint Admissions board (JAB) as the only body mandated to admit students to both public and private institutions of higher learning.

Under the new law, the centre is expected to determine the cut-off points, allocate courses to students based on their performance and also liaise with the Government to get the priority courses.

The board is made up of Mabel Imbuga, George Magoha, Miriam Mwita, Noah Midamba and David Some of Commission for University Education (CUE).

Higher Education Loans Board (Helb) Chief Executive Charles Ringera, Edwin Tarno and the principal secretaries of ministries of Education and Finance are also members.