KCSE giants get varsity slots as questions on placement persist

CEO KUCCPS John Muraguri speaks at the Daystar University during during stakeholders meeting and release of universities and colleges placement result for 2016. (Photo: George Njunge/Standard)

Details of courses and universities chosen by the country’s top performers in last year’s Form Four national examinations can be revealed today.

It has emerged that all the 141 students who scored grade A in last years KCSE will be admitted in only four of the country’s top public universities.

This means that the top brains in the 2016 national examinations only chose to pursue programmes offered in University of Nairobi, Jomo Kenyatta University of Science and technology (JKUAT), Kenyatta University and Moi University.

The University of Nairobi will admit 102 students and JKUAT will take in 23.

Kenyatta University and Moi University will admit seven students each.

The last two students who also scored the top grades did not apply to join any university at all, but were placed to available programmes.

The top student in 2016 KCSE – Kibugi Joyce Wambu – who scored 83 points will be admitted at the University of Nairobi to study medicine.

Maina Bernard Mwang’i who was the second best student nationally chose to study computer science at JKUAT. Ogola Aoko Benadetta will be admitted at the University of Nairobi to pursue dental surgery.

The three students complete the short list of candidates who scored grade A of 83 points.

Nding’uri Jane Wanjiru and Bushuru Wafula Mathew who both scored A of 82 points will be admitted at JKUAT and UoN respectively. They complete the placement of the top five best performers nationally.

Medicine, pharmacy, engineering, architecture and economics are the most preferred courses by the top candidates.

What is however shocking is the annual placement trend which has raised questions whether public universities are doing enough to attract students by offering quality education and mounting the right programmes.

The admission trends for the past three years reveal that most students still prefer to study in the traditional older institutions.

The University of Nairobi, Moi University, Kenyatta University and JKUAT continue to attract and admit the largest number of students even as the other institutions expanded and declared higher capacities.

This year, UoN will admit the highest number of students of 5,955.

Kenyatta University will admit 5,741, Moi University 5,190, JKUAT 4,994 and Egerton 3,621 students.

The details emerged during the release of placement results by the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS).

The 35 public universities however came into sharp focus with stakeholders saying they have failed to inspire students to join them.

Speaking on the sidelines of the meeting, university and colleges management officials gave a self assessment verdict that shows they are not doing enough to better programmes they offer to attract students.

Commission for University Education (CUE) encouraged universities to embrace ranking as it raises the institutions standing on compliance with quality and standards.

Only UoN enjoys international ranking in the prestigious Times Higher Education.