Parliament orders KUCCPS to name universities owing Sh500m in placement fees

National Assembly.

Parliament has directed Kenya Universities and Colleges Placement Service (KUCCPS) to provide a list of universities owing them about Sh500 million in placement fees.

The National Assembly Committee on Education, led by Tinderet MP, Julius Melly made the directive after KUCCPS informed the committee that universities are required to pay a one-off amount of Sh1500 per student successfully placed but do not always remit.

This came as KUCCPS Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr Mercy Wahome told the committee that universities say some students did not report but the numbers are higher when they are seeking funding from Universities Fund.

"Which universities owe you and how much... You have placed students so why do they owe you? When universities ask for money, it shows that students are already in, which is criminal," Melly said.

Melly added that one of the key functions of KUCCPS is administrative to let the Government know where students are placed, an authority granted to them and universities are supposed to pay for that fee.

Wahome said that this Financial Year, Kuccps had to withhold the placement list from universities until the institutions make a commitment to honor their obligations.

"This year we were strict on them. Students got the messages of institutions they were placed in but the universities did not get the list until they paid a commitment fee, they have charged students so it's just remitting it. They say some students did not report but the numbers are higher when seeking funding," Wahome explained.

She also said that the board has had to come up with a debt policy, where they signed an agreement with these institutions of higher learning owing them on how they will gradually clear the monies.

“They are now gradually honoring their commitment,” she said.

Baringo North MP, Joseph Makilap suggested a mechanism whereby monies can be deducted upfront when students join universities.

“Once you get to the university, there should be a way that the Sh1500 is remitted, it can be deducted upfront when joining universities,” he stated.

Wahome appeared before the committee to explain its FY 2025/26 budget implementation status.

At the same time, she said KUCCPS has the capacity to assist in placement of students from Junior to Senior schools if called upon to support the process though their current mandate covers universities and colleges.

"KUCCPS has the expertise. The placement system we use has been developed internally and currently, we are able to count the capacities for every university based on the recommendations by the Commissioner for University Education. So, if the capacities are approved, we will count them as our students. The same concept would be used for the senior and junior schools. If called upon, I believe we can support,” she explained.

The Service, however, has not participated in Grade 10 placement thus far.

She was responding to a question raised by Kitutu Masaba, Clive Gisairo who said that when there were issues with senior school placement earlier, the Ministry alluded to use of KUCCPS system to assist.

“Could your expertise be sought for senior school placement? Would you be able to if called upon? Gisairo posed.

Wahome has also told the committee that they have for the first time developed a platform for late applicants and are able to get those who did not get placement since 2022, for various reasons.

“We have seen that many students who had not applied are able to come back to apply,” she noted.

Wahome, however, told the committee that they lack a framework to track students beyond placement but a bill currently in Parliament seeks to address this challenge.

“Institutions are not bound to provide any returns to KUCCPS after placement of students. As such, KUCCPS is not able to make follow-ups on reporting of placed students and track student progression and completion rates. KUCCPS is ready to deploy the required reliable technologies to achieve this once legislation is in place,” she explained.

At the same time, she said KUCCPS currently primarily draws its mandate from the Universities Act, 2012 and has been undertaking its mandate as per the Act.

She said placement of students to universities and colleges cuts across State Department for Higher Education, State Department for Basic Education and State Department for TVET within the Ministry of Education, and 18 other Ministries thus requiring legislative review to eliminate ambiguities and overlaps in placement and career development.

She said FY 2025/2026 is the first year that KUCCPS did not receive any Government capitation but financed its budget through Appropriations-In-Aid (AIA), having raised Sh856.3 million.

In the coming years, she said KUCCPS intends to maintain the mobilisation and increase placement products to remain relevant in the changing environment.

Over the years, she said KUCCPS has been serving 10,500 secondary schools. However, with the transition to Junior and Senior Secondary Schools, KUCCPS is now dealing with additional students in 22,000 Junior Secondary Schools.

“The continued expansion of the student placement and career guidance mandate, including outreach to learners under Junior and Senior Secondary Schools under Competency-Based Education (CBE) pathways, has increased the scale and complexity of services required from KUCCPS,” she noted.

She noted that the increasing enrolment in secondary schools and transition to CBE has significantly expanded KUCCPS' operational mandate, particularly in providing career guidance to learners in both Junior and Senior Secondary Schools, which require corresponding financial, human and operational resources.

She also made reference to the Tertiary Education, Placement and Funding Bill 2026 is currently before the House saying that if enacted, it will harmonise placement of students and enhance data management within the education sector.

She explained that the Bill articulates the role of the Placement Service in placement of students to public and private universities; provides clear timelines for placement activities; and provides a framework for reporting of student returns.

“The Placement Service requests the Committee to revise the Bill to include reporting on student progression and completion. Additionally, there is a need to clarify the role of KUCCPS under Section 25 Sub-Sections 1 and 2, on inter-institutional and inter-faculty transfers,” she explained.

On budget status in the FY 2026/2026, she said the approved budget for KUCCPS was Sh796.5 million, all of which was internally generated.

“The Placement Service absorbed 89 per cent of the budget amounting to Sh710 million, all under recurrent expenditure,” she said.