- KUCCPS wants Sh990.3 million included in the 2026/27 supplementary budget for office acquisition.
- The agency says the project has Treasury clearance but was omitted from printed budget estimates.
- MPs also questioned universities over hundreds of millions of shillings in unpaid placement fees.
The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) is seeking Sh990.3 million in the FY2026/27 supplementary budget to facilitate the acquisition of office premises in Nairobi.
According to the placement service, the project is expected to cost approximately Sh990 million, with the funds to be sourced internally.
KUCCPS said it has written to Parliament seeking the inclusion of the project in the supplementary estimates for the 2026/27 financial year to pave the way for the tendering process.
The agency told the committee that no budget had been set aside for capital projects, meaning there was no ongoing capital project by the close of the financial year.
It noted, however, that a feasibility study for the office acquisition had already been prepared and cleared by the National Treasury.
KUCCPS further explained that although the project had been captured in the Government Investment Management Information System (GIMIS) and the Public Investment Management Information System (PIMIS), its budget did not make it into the printed estimates for FY2026/27.
KUCCPS made the disclosure during its submission to the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Education on the implementation of its FY2025/26 budget.
During the financial year, the service had an approved budget of Sh796.5 million, of which it absorbed 89 per cent, equivalent to Sh710 million, under recurrent expenditure.
The agency said it had no pending recurrent or development bills during the period, crediting this to sufficient cash flow to meet its financial obligations.
KUCCPS added that it settles all invoices within 30 days of inspecting and accepting delivered goods or services.
Universities owe placement fees
Beyond the office acquisition plans, the committee also raised concerns over unpaid placement fees owed to the agency.
KUCCPS CEO Dr Agnes Wahome told the National Assembly Education Committee that the agency had collected Sh261.57 million against a target of Sh284.16 million from the Sh1,500 placement fee charged to institutions per student.
Wahome told MPs that roughly Sh300 million in placement fees remains outstanding, mostly owed by universities, and that instalment agreements have since been signed to guide recovery.
The arrears figure was disputed during the session, with the committee, chaired by Julius Melly, directing KUCCPS to identify universities owing a sum closer to Sh500 million.
Committee Vice-Chair Eve Obara pressed for clarity on which categories of institutions were defaulting and what recourse existed to recover the outstanding funds.
The Sh1,500 fee funds semester validation, which in turn enables disbursements from the Universities Fund and the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB).
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The office acquisition proposal and the outstanding fee arrears are expected to feature further as the committee reviews KUCCPS’s budget implementation and pending obligations.
By Benedict Aoya
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