Candidates who scored C+ in the 2024 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) are starring at missing out joining University in the 2025 September intake.
The government would need at least Ksh25.85 billion annually to support the growing number of students who scored grade C+ and above.
In the 2024 KCSE exams, 246,391 candidates attained the university entry grade up from 201,133 recorded in 2023.
In a statement on Wednesday, February 26, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said the government is exploring alternative options as it may not afford to finance all qualifying candidates.
While addressing higher education stakeholders at Lake Naivasha Resort, Ogamba, stated that the Ministry of Education is consulting various government agencies before determining when the KUCCPS portal will open for university applications.
The delay means that thousands of students now face uncertainty regarding their admission and financial support.
“The true elephant in the room is how to adequately fund the 246,391 KCSE 2024 candidates who qualified for university. Can we afford to provide full loans and scholarships to all first-year students while still catering for continuing students? Should we determine an optimal number that the government can afford to sponsor while allowing others to seek alternative funding,” Ogamba said.
Further, Ogamba asked the higher education stakeholders to come up with alternative funding options for students.
He explained that the country if facing a huge task due to the high number of qualifying students and the financial crisis facing the country.
“We are meeting here when the country is set to make critical decisions on university admissions and funding, affecting the highest ever number of qualifiers for university admissions in the history of our country,” Ogamba said.
“These are some of the questions that I am putting on the table for this conference to interrogate.”
KUCCPS Selection
Education CS normally directs KUCCPS to start the selection and placement process after KCSE results are announced.
However, for the 2024 cohort, CS Ogamba has neither announced the available university slots nor confirmed the number of students the government will sponsor.
Also Read: Education CS Clarifies Raising University Entry Grade
Assurance to KCSE Candidates with Grade C+
Higher Education Principal Secretary (PS) Dr. Beatrice Inyangala expressed confidence that the court would provide clarity, enabling the placement process to proceed smoothly.
“I want to assure parents that all students who scored a C+ and above will have an opportunity to register and receive funding before the September intake,” Dr Inyangala said.
Inyangala, however, advised universities to diversify their revenue sources instead of relying solely on government funding.
“Government funding alone is insufficient to provide the desired quality of education,” she said.
Also Read: CS Ogamba Reveals When KUCCPS Portal Will Open
University Funding Dilemma
The PS represented CS Ogamba at the Second Biennial Conference on Funding Higher Education in Naivasha.
University vice-chancellors, policymakers from the Ministry of Education and the National Treasury, private sector representatives, and development partners attended the conference, which focused on the funding crisis and potential solutions.
Justice Chacha Mwita of the High Court ruled that the government’s funding model was unconstitutional, raising concerns over university financing.
The National Assembly Education Committee has since engaged stakeholders to find a resolution.
In the 2024 KCSE results, 1,693 candidates scored an A (Plain), 2,743 earned an A-, 19,150 attained a B+, 43,120 secured a B (Plain), 75,347 received a B-, and 99,338 achieved a C+.
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