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Irene Githinjie @gitshee 

Thousands of the 2020 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) candidates were yesterday racing against time to beat today’s deadline for submitting fresh applications for university courses.

By yesterday morning, only 22,700 out of 43,425 of the qualified candidates had submitted their applications after missing their preferred courses during the first window.

“We appeal to those who did not merit their initial choices due to competition and have not yet revised their choices to do so before the Monday deadline,” said the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (Kuccps) Chief Executive Officer Agnes Wahome ahead of today’s 3 pm deadline.

The application system is scheduled to close today at 3pm. In the 2020 KCSE examination, 142,540 Kenyan citizens obtained the minimum university entry grade of C+ plus or above, thus qualifying for government sponsorship to university. 

KUCCPS opened its system for application on May 24 and the first revision of the choices submitted earlier in school.

Degree choices

At the end of the first revision on June 11, out of the 142,540 candidates who qualified for degree courses, 131,833 (92.5 per cent) had applied for their preferred courses in universities and TVET colleges. 

However, 43,425 applied but missed their degree choices or did not submit applications at all. 

The online application system was reopened on June 22 to give them another chance. 

“We have made a lot of effort to reach out to these students. Besides sending them messages, we have contacted them by email and phone calls directly and through the principals of their former schools to remind them to apply before the Monday deadline,” said Dr Wahome.

While many responded to the calls and applied, some indicated they had opted to join university under self-sponsorship.

“Others said they were planning to enrol at Strathmore and USIU, which do not take part in the Kuccps student placement process, while others were seeking study opportunities abroad.”

Kuccps said it also noted reluctance in some regions where there was a mentality that completing Form Four was the end of education hence many of their candidates qualified for university but failed to apply. 

The most affected were Mandera, Garissa, Wajir, Isiolo, Turkana, Marsabit, West Pokot, Lamu and Kilifi counties. She termed the move as a setback for the government’s desire to leave no child behind.

“We appeal to the leaders in the affected counties to encourage and mobilise their young people who have qualified for admission to universities and colleges to apply.”