Students at a past graduation ceremony.
The Commission for University Education (CUE) is mulling the introduction of enrolment capping for university programmes to reduce wastage as a response to the growing mismatch between graduates and labour market needs.
If adopted, the proposed system would empower the commission to put a limit to students admitted to certain academic programmes, particularly in the social sciences, which contribute the highest number of unemployed graduates.
This move, according to the commission, is aimed at aligning academic output with current and projected labour market demands, and addressing the increasing frustration of unemployed graduates.
“Some universities are offering courses that are no longer market-driven, and that is one of the reasons CUE has intensified its monitoring of university curricula,” CEO Mike Kuria told the National Assembly Committee on Education during an inspection visit.
Commission for University Education CEO Mike Kuria.
Prof Kuria said that while the commission is pressing universities to offer market-relevant programmes, it is faced with the challenge of rapidly evolving demands of the labour market.
MPs issued a scathing critique of CUE's traditional regulatory approach, which has traditionally been accrediting courses that universities present to it for approval.
“The commission is still operating as the traditional CUE that only accredits courses brought before it, instead of advising universities on what the market demands,” noted committee chairperson Julius Melly (Tinderet MP).
He said CUE needs to take a proactive stance in guiding university education to meet national needs.
Mr Melly criticised the CUE five-year Strategic Plan (2024–2028), stating that it falls short in addressing changing economic and employment realities.
“Your strategic plan does not respond to the shifting dynamics of the labour market. CUE is supposed to inform society on the direction we are taking, based on demand,” he added.
Kitutu Masaba MP Clive Gisairo echoed the concerns, urging the commission to introduce enrolment caps for over-subscribed programmes.
“Why doesn’t CUE be proactive, study the market and give each university a quota on the number of students it can enrol in courses like education or other social sciences,” he posed.
He cited classes in public universities that have over 300 students training in areas where the market is already saturated, setting graduates up for a life of struggle.
Introducing quotas is expected to compel students to consider alternative career paths that are in higher demand.
Luanda MP Dick Maungu said the problem was systemic and demanded urgent reform.
“We need to tailor our output so that it meets our demand. If you analyse the 37 public universities in this country, all of them are offering Bachelor of Education programmes. This is not sustainable,” he said.
A past graduation ceremony.
Baringo North MP Joseph Makilap took the conversation further by highlighting the need to update not only courses but also the capacity of teaching staff.
“Even the lecturers need to be retrained, especially those handling equipment; they must be familiar with the latest versions in the market,” he said.
Prof Kuria acknowledged the concerns and admitted that some universities continue to offer programmes that are obsolete and misaligned with job market realities.
The concerns come in the wake of a recent skills demand survey by the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE), which highlighted that some of the hardest positions to fill require university-level training in fields such as Information Technology, Finance, and Business Management.
At the same time, the country is witnessing a glut of graduates in areas with low employment absorption rates, creating a widening skills mismatch that experts say is undermining economic progress. The FKE survey also recommended increasing investment in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education and promoting diversity within STEM-related industries to address future workforce gaps.
“To adapt, universities can even turn most of their dormitories into laboratories as admissions are no longer pegged on bed space. The priority now should be relevant, quality education,” said Mr Melly.
