State plans to move custody of KCSE certificates from schools

The government is planning to have Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exam certificates picked from sub-county directors of education offices rather than schools.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba told Members of Parliament that he wants the issuance of KCSE certificates removed from schools after it emerged that principals defy directives not to withhold the papers.

This development comes amid growing pressure from MPs for the government to compel school heads to release certificates being withheld over unpaid school fees.

The MPs argue that thousands of former students are unable to secure jobs or further their education because their certificates remain in the custody of schools.

Many have been forced into unskilled labour due to lack of official academic credentials, MPs sitting at the National Assembly committee on Education said.

Despite Ogamba's directive last week instructing schools to release all withheld certificates unconditionally, MPs questioned its effectiveness, noting that similar directives by previous education ministers had been largely ignored.

“What will make this directive different from past ones that were never enforced?” Tinderet MP Julius Melly, who also chairs the Education Committee, asked.

School heads have argued that institutions are owed over Sh20 billion in unpaid fees, making it difficult to release the certificates without financial implications.

In 2019, then Education CS George Magoha suggested that only students genuinely unable to pay should have their certificates released unconditionally, while those capable of clearing their arrears should be required to do so.

He even proposed listing defaulters with Credit Reference Bureaus (CRBs) as a means of enforcing payment.

However MPs then faulted Magoha's plan as punitive.

Ogamba however did not clarify whether this new certificate issuance policy will apply to students under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), who will receive certificates at the end of junior secondary (Grade 9) and senior secondary (Grade 12).

With only three more KCSE cohorts before the phase-out of the 8-4-4 system, any policy change would primarily affect the last groups of 8-4-4 candidates.

Teachers Service Commission (TSC) Chief Executive Officer Nancy Macharia  has also previously issued directives to all school heads to release the certificates.