Massive Job Losses Loom For Public University Workers

By Kibet Tobias
According to a recent audit report by the Commission for University Education (CUE) 544 out of the 1,382 academic programmes admitted either none or not more than nine students in the 31 public universities and seven constituent colleges.
What does this mean to all 27,798 university workers staff who were employed based on student numbers in enrollment? Layoffs seem inevitable because each course has many lecturers due to the number of units being taught in the university.
University of Nairobi, for instance, has 4,946 staff with 10 programmes that didn’t admit students. Moi University has 2,974 staff, 15 courses admitted none, while Kenyatta University has 2,881 staff, 16 programmes received no student.
CUE chairman Chacha Nyaigoti said they were concerned about the development adding that the affected staff maybe either sacked or retrained in other areas.
It is also a difficult situation for university management and the Universities Funding Board in deciding which programmes will receive Government funding and which ones will not.
Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) data revealed that that out of the 606,394 candidates only a total of 62,851 candidates were successfully placed in degree courses of their choice.
CEO John Muraguri said only 5,747 students who scored C+ and above did not secure university slots.
Placement data also shows that the number of students attaining the minimum university entry grade of C+ is on the decline.
If you are still wondering, we have compiled a list of the most affected areas!
Here Are Courses that didn’t not admit students in various universities

1. Bachelor of Science Agriculture
2. Bachelor of Science Agricultural Economics
3. Bachelor of Science (Animal Science)
4. Bachelor of Science (Natural Resources Management)
5. Bachelor of Science (Agricultural Education & Extension)
6. Bachelor of Science (Agribusiness Management)
7. Bachelor of Science (Hotel & Restaurant Management)
8. Bachelor of Science (Nutrition & Dietetics Wildlife)
9. Bachelor of Science (Entreprises & Management)
10. Bachelor of Science (Leather Technology)
11. Bachelor of Science (Soil Environment & Land Use Management)
12. Bachelor of Science (Horticulture)
13. Bachelor of Arts in Sociology
14. Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood & Primary Education)
15. Bachelor of Arts (Counseling Psychology)
16. Bachelor of Science (Applied Aquatic Science)
17. Bachelor of Science (Dry Land, Agriculture & Enterprise Development)
18. Bachelor of Science (Animal Health Management)
19. Bachelor of Science (Biological Sciences)

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Unaccredited programmes
The CUE audit report further revealed that many institutions had introduced many courses which were not market driven. The report found striking similarities between programmes, resulting in thinner classes and saturation of certain skill sets.
The report by the Commission for University Education (CUE) exposed universities offering unaccredited programmes that left graduates holding degrees that are unrecognised in their respective industries.
For example, it showed that at the time of the survey, Moi University had 41(out of 65) unaccredited programmes while Maseno University had 11 (out of 76). Technical University of Mombasa had 18 unaccredited programmes (out of 39) while Great Lakes University had 20.
The report also indicated that all online programmes offered by Kabarak University, Maseno University and Daystar University were not accredited.
Unfortunately, many students had graduated in these unaccredited programmes.
The University of Eldoret had 12 programmes without students, Murang’a University had 45, Machakos University had 10 while Strathmore University had one.
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In Conclusion…
It is now clear that few universities and colleges are accredited to offer certain degree courses in Kenya. The credited ones have met all the requirements needed by the Commission for University Education (CUE).
If you are looking for a course of your choice, it is advisable to pursue an accredited course from accredited institution. Make a choice!
Any related query? Contact tobias@www.careerpointkenya.co.ke or comment on the section below.