In 2024, Kisii University denied reports that the institution received 16,000 students under the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) placement program.
Speaking to The Kenya Times, the Deputy Vice Chancellor Academics Professor Fredrick Wanyama said that contrary to the reports, the school only received 7,772 students for the 2024 intake.
Additionally, he noted that the number recorded was less than the students admitted in 2023 through KUCCPS.
“We never got 16,000 students. In 2023, we got slightly over 8,000 students so in this year’s intake we have actually gotten less that what we got last year,” said the professor.
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Why Kisii University Attracts KCSE Students
According to the DVC, the institution was growing more and more popular because it offered what students were looking for adding that the school offered various courses that students could choose from.
“We have a variety of degree programs, so we have opportunities for students who want to study from various disciplinary background. I believe that they choose us because we have what they are looking for.
“They are looking for courses of their interest and they are finding them in Kisii. We are also a growing institution, and we are making improvement on what we have regularly,” added Prof. Wanyama.
At the same time, he indicated that there was no big difference between the school fees charged for different courses and other universities in the country.
“I don’t think there is a big difference in school fees. If you check with KUCCPS, they have indicated the cost of degree programs for universities, and we are not any cheaper than any other university
“I have been comparing the cheapest degree programs across different universities, especially the art based, we have other universities that are charging about Ksh140,000 per year and ours is around Ksh200,000 per year, and students are still coming,” he said.
Additionally, he said that because the institution was still growing, it did not have the capacity to budget for big advertisements, therefore they relied on referrals from students at the school.
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Ministry of Education Defends the University
According to the head of Program Accreditation in the Commission for University Education (CUE) Marcella Mwaka, Kisii university has the capacity to accommodate the 16,000 students placed in the institution.
She argued that the institution has 317 academic staff, 91 lecture halls, 14 laboratories, and 3 computer labs. Moreover, Mwaka noted that the institution offers 82 bachelor’s degree programs, the third highest number in the country.
“We do the validation on the basis of the resources available at the university, the accreditation status of the programs. We do the validation on the basis of the resources available at the university, the accreditation status of the programs.
“One of the things we need to be aware of is that universities have different academic programs, like for Kisii they have 82 bachelor’s degree programs, being the third highest after Jomo Kenyatta University with 100 programs, while Kenyatta University has 87,” she said.
Kisii university offers courses in different programs including the school of agriculture and natural resources management, school of arts and social science, school of business and economics, school of education and human resource development.
It also offers courses in the school of health sciences, school of information & technology, school of law, school of pure and applied science
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