Pre-varsity students have voiced significant concerns over the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) requirement for a national identity card to access the university placement portal. This issue surfaced prominently during a sensitisation programme held in Kisii, where over 500 students gathered to discuss their grievances and suggestions for an enhanced and more accessible portal.
The students highlighted the cumbersome and time-consuming nature of the current KUCCPS portal. Many reported that the portal often takes an extended time to open and navigate, causing frustration and financial strain. With many students relying on cybercafes to access the internet, the delays result in prolonged sessions that significantly increase their costs.
One student remarked, “We spend a lot of time just waiting for the portal to load. It’s not just inconvenient; it’s also expensive. Many of us come from backgrounds where every shilling counts, and the current system is just not sustainable for us.”
The mandatory requirement for a national identity card (ID) to access the KUCCPS portal has added another layer of difficulty. For many pre-varsity students, acquiring an ID is a process fraught with delays and bureaucratic hurdles. This requirement has, therefore, barred many from timely accessing and completing their university placement applications.
A student from Kisii lamented, “We are ready to join universities and further our education, but the ID requirement is a significant obstacle. Not all of us have our IDs yet due to various delays, and it’s unfair that this is preventing us from moving forward.”
