Instead of using schools, the Ministry of Education intends to use Ministry sub-county directors of education offices to select Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exam certificates.
Julius Ogamba, the cabinet secretary for education, told lawmakers that he wanted schools to stop issuing KCSE certificates after it was discovered that principals were not following orders to withhold the documents.
This incident coincides with increasing MP pressure on the government to force school administrators to issue certificates that have been withheld due to unpaid tuition.
The CS ordered all schools to immediately release the KNEC certificates, including the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) certificates, that have been withheld from students who have completed their exams.
Speaking on Monday, March 17, Migos stated that schools have no right to withhold students’ certificates, describing the practice as illegal and against the law.
He emphasised that no student should be denied access to their documents due to financial struggles terming it an illegality.
Many schools in Kenya withhold certificates because of unpaid school fees.
Migos had instructed county education directors to investigate the situation and submit a full report within 14 days to ensure that schools comply with the directive.
The CS urged school principals and headteachers to comply immediately and warned of serious action against those who fail to release the certificates.
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.
CRB LISTING
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).
Teachers Service Commission (TSC) Chief Executive Officer Nancy Macharia has also previously issued directives to all school heads to release the certificates.