The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) has addressed growing concerns from students placed in courses they never applied for, offering clarity on the issue during a public statement made on Tuesday.

Agnes Wahome, the KUCCPS CEO, revealed that one of the biggest challenges arises with applicants to medical-related courses, where the demand far outweighs the available slots.

“We place less than 1,000 students across all the universities that offer medicine courses. However, the number of students who apply is more than 10,000,” Wahome stated.

She noted that many students tend to select highly competitive programmes like medicine without considering alternatives. “We noticed that students select courses in a way that if you ask them the careers they want to take, they respond that they want to take medicine courses,” she added.

Due to this mismatch between demand and available capacity, many students are ultimately placed in alternative courses that still align with their qualifications but were not part of their initial choices.

Wahome also addressed another major reason behind misplacement, students overwhelmingly prefer a handful of prestigious institutions. According to KUCCPS data, most applicants choose older, well-established universities, often neglecting newer or recently chartered institutions.

This preference has forced the placement agency to balance student distribution by assigning applicants to universities they may not have selected. “We are trying to ensure that all universities have a fair number of students. Sometimes that means placing students in institutions they didn’t list,” she explained.

The CEO urged applicants to broaden their choices, reminding them that all programs have value and potential depending on how students apply themselves after graduation. “There is no bad program. All of them are good and marketable, depending on what you do with the certificate after school,” she emphasized.

In addition, Wahome encouraged students to take more time and care when selecting courses and institutions, especially while navigating the KUCCPS portal. The platform features color-coded segments for public and private universities to help streamline the application process and reduce errors.

Her message to students and parents alike: be open-minded, avoid tunnel vision, and trust that the variety of programmes offered across Kenyan institutions can all lead to successful and fulfilling careers.