Some 15,547 candidates who scored C+ and above in the 2020 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination snubbed universities while some opted for diploma and certificate courses like plumbing in technical institutions.
Data from the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) shows 10,707 candidates did not apply for degree courses despite meeting the minimum qualifications.
Another 4,840 preferred Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges to pursue courses in an employment market where university graduates are struggling to get jobs.
The 15,547 candidates accounted for 10.8 percent of the 143,140 students who qualified to join universities.
The growing share of students snubbing university education is a departure from the past when degrees were viewed by many as a ticket for promotion at the workplace and getting a job, pushing the enrolment numbers to record high in recent years.
This has coincided with the government’s increased focus on technical colleges in the quest to feed the labour market with craftsmen and technicians.