This archive report was first published on 26 October 2019.
Published on October 26, 2019, a report by The Standard exposed how school heads in Kenya are minting cash from university and college applications, while failing to submit them to the placement agency.
According to the report, candidates pay Sh500 to apply for university and college courses at school level, a mandatory requirement for all Form Four students sitting KCSE. However, it emerged that most schools collect money from students but fail to send their applications to the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS).
Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (Kessha) Kahi Indimuli, who was attending a heads conference in China at the time, said he would comment on the matter next week. “I will speak about it when I return next week,” said Mr Indimuli.
Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) Nairobi Executive Secretary Moses Owiti revealed that many cases have been presented to his office, where school heads collect money but do not register candidates. “We know of several cases where heads collect money but do not register candidates. In some schools, they collect money from all students but only apply for a few,” said Mr Owiti.
Principal Secretary in the State Department of Vocational and Technical Education Kevit Desai stated that all schools have been provided with necessary information on career guidance. However, interviews with some secondary school heads and deputy principals of the affected schools revealed that schools collect money but fail to send the data to KUCCPS.
Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha had previously accused his regional staff of sleeping on the job, failing to visit schools. It emerged that most principals of poorly-performing schools fail to register the candidates because they predict poor grades.
KUCCPS CEO John Muraguri emphasized that there are more options for candidates, including certificate and diploma courses. Students have 18 choices open to them when making applications at school level.
