Parliament orders KUCCPS to name universities owing Sh500million placement fees
The National Assembly Education Committee, chaired by Tinderet MP Julius Melly, issued the directive after KUCCPS disclosed that universities are required to pay a one-off Sh1,500 fee for every student successfully placed, but some institutions have failed to remit the money.
Members of Parliament (MPs) have ordered the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) to disclose universities that owe the agency about Sh500 million in placement fees, raising fresh questions over institutions’ compliance with their financial obligations.
The National Assembly Education Committee, chaired by Tinderet MP Julius Melly, issued the directive after KUCCPS disclosed that universities are required to pay a one-off Sh1,500 fee for every student successfully placed, but some institutions have failed to remit the money.
KUCCPS Chief Executive Officer Dr Mercy Wahome told the committee that some universities claim students they were assigned did not report, even though the same institutions provide higher student numbers when seeking funding from the Universities Fund.
“Which universities owe you and how much… You have placed students so why do they owe you? When universities ask for money, it shows that students are already in, which is criminal,” Melly said.
He noted that KUCCPS has an administrative role in informing the Government where students have been placed and that universities are required to pay for the service.
Wahome said KUCCPS was forced to tighten enforcement this financial year by withholding placement lists from universities until they committed to settling outstanding fees. Students were informed of their placements, but institutions only received the lists after making commitment payments.
“This year we were strict on them. Students got the messages of institutions they were placed in but the universities did not get the list until they paid a commitment fee,” Wahome said.
She said KUCCPS had since introduced a debt policy under which indebted institutions signed agreements committing to clear their arrears gradually.
“They are now gradually honoring their commitment,” she said.
Baringo North MP Joseph Makilap proposed that the Sh1,500 placement fee be deducted automatically when students join universities to prevent accumulation of arrears.
Wahome also told MPs that KUCCPS lacks a legal framework requiring universities to provide returns after placement, making it difficult to track students’ reporting, progression and completion.
She said the proposed Tertiary Education, Placement and Funding Bill 2026 would harmonise placement and improve education data management.
KUCCPS reported that it raised Sh856.3 million in internally generated revenue in 2025/26, operating without Government capitation for the first time, while its approved budget stood at Sh796.5 million.
