Education Cabinet Secretary, Julius Ogamba, has announced upcoming changes to how Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) certificates will be collected.
The new plan involves shifting the collection process from schools to government offices, specifically sub-county education offices, rather than the traditional practice of receiving certificates at the schools attended.
This announcement follows closely after Ogamba directed school principals to release the KCSE certificates that had been withheld due to outstanding school fee arrears.
Sources within the Ministry of Education revealed that the CS shared this new directive with Members of Parliament (MPs), explaining that he wanted to take the process of issuing KCSE certificates out of the hands of school principals.
This decision comes after it was found that some principals had ignored the directive to release certificates, continuing to withhold them from students.
The withholding of certificates had caused a serious issue for many students, as they were unable to continue their education or pursue employment due to not having the necessary documents.
Ogamba, speaking on March 17, 2025, emphasized that schools had no legal right to withhold the certificates, labeling the practice as both illegal and contrary to the law.
He noted that, despite his clear instructions, some principals still prevented students from collecting their certificates, which led to frustration among those affected.
The Cabinet Secretary’s new approach is to have KCSE candidates collect their certificates directly from the sub-county education offices instead of from their former schools. This move follows mounting pressure from MPs, who voiced concerns about students being unable to obtain jobs due to not having their certificates.
The MPs, particularly those in the National Assembly Committee on Education, held discussions on March 19, urging the Ministry of Education to ensure the timely release of certificates, as many students have been pushed into unskilled labor because they lack the official documentation of their academic achievements.
In defense of withholding the certificates, school principals explained that the schools are owed more than Ksh20 billion in unpaid fees.
They stated that this financial burden made it difficult for them to release certificates without facing significant financial consequences.
In 2019, former Education CS George Magoha had introduced a policy that allowed only those students who were genuinely unable to pay their fees to collect their certificates, while others were required to clear their outstanding dues.
With the introduction of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), the education system has transitioned, and only three groups from the 8-4-4 system will still be sitting for the KCSE exams.
However, the CS did not clarify whether these new changes would also affect students under the CBC system, who are set to receive certificates at the end of Junior School (Grade 9) and Senior School (Grade 12).
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