Govt to shift KCPE, KCSE certificate collection to sub-county offices
This proposal comes amid pressure from MPs demanding a permanent solution for thousands of former students whose certificates remain in schools due to unpaid fees.
The government is planning to have certificates for Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) collected at sub-county education offices.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba proposed this while addressing Members of Parliament, citing continued defiance by school principals who withhold certificates despite clear directives against the practice.
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This proposal comes amid pressure from MPs demanding a permanent solution for thousands of former students whose certificates remain in schools due to unpaid fees.
According to the National Assembly's Education Committee, many affected students are unable to secure employment or further their education and have been forced into low-paying jobs.
Despite a directive from Ogamba last week requiring schools to release all withheld certificates, MPs questioned whether it would be enforced effectively.
“What will make this directive different from past ones that were never enforced?” asked Tinderet MP Julius Melly, who chairs the committee.
School heads argue that institutions are owed over Sh20 billion in unpaid fees, making it difficult to release the certificates without financial repercussions.
In 2019, then-Education CS George Magoha suggested releasing certificates only for students genuinely unable to pay while requiring those who could clear their balances.
He also proposed listing fee defaulters with Credit Reference Bureaus (CRBs), but MPs rejected the idea as punitive.
Ogamba did not clarify whether this proposed policy change would apply to students under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), who will receive certificates after Grade 9 and Grade 12.
With only three more KCSE cohorts left before the 8-4-4 system is fully phased out, any change would primarily affect the last group of 8-4-4 candidates.
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) CEO Nancy Macharia has previously directed school heads to release the certificates, but enforcement remains a challenge.
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