The government has proposed that students who sit for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams collect their certificates from sub-county education offices, rather than from their former schools.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba informed Members of Parliament (MPs) that the move aims to curb the persistent issue of school principals withholding certificates despite previous directives against the practice.
The proposal follows pressure from lawmakers, who argue that thousands of former students are unable to pursue further education or secure employment due to the retention of their academic credentials over unpaid fees.
As a result, many are pushed into unskilled labor. MPs questioned the enforcement of Ogamba’s latest decision, which requires schools to unconditionally release all withheld certificates, citing a history of disregarding similar orders.
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School administrators claim that since the institutions owe more than Sh20 billion in unpaid fees, it is challenging to disclose the documents without suffering financial consequences.
In 2019, George Magoha, then Education Cabinet Secretary, proposed a selective solution: only those genuinely unable to pay would have their certificates released unconditionally, while others would pay their outstanding fees.
He also said registering defaulters with Credit Reference Bureaus (CRBs) to guarantee payment should be considered.
Ogamba did not clarify whether this new policy would apply to students under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), who will receive certificates after Junior School (Grade 9) and Senior School (Grade 12).
By Joseph Mambili
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