By Cantona Joseph July 27, 2026 08:18 (EAT)

Students were encouraged to avoid the perception that STEM-related careers are the only pathway to success

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High school students aspiring to pursue higher education have been urged to take advantage of mentorship programmes by the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) to make informed career choices.

KUCCPS has been conducting career guidance and mentorship sessions in schools and higher education institutions to help learners identify courses that match their skills, interests and academic performance.

Education stakeholders made the call during separate mentorship forums held in Vihiga county and at Cardinal Otunga Girls National School in Bungoma county over the weekend.

The forums were organised by KUCCPS in partnership with Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST).

MMUST vice chancellor Solomon Sibairo urged students to work hard academically and take advantage of the government’s planned rollout of free university education for qualified students.

Speakers at the forums emphasised the importance of aligning university and course choices with individual academic performance to improve the chances of securing admission to preferred programmes.

“You can get your A minus or A but you are hanging because your choices were not right,” MMUST professor Bernadette Sabuni said.

Her remarks come as KUCCPS runs a month-long course revision window for students placed in universities and colleges for the 2026-27 academic year.

The revision period is intended to give students an opportunity to review their course choices ahead of the start of the new academic year in September.

KUCCPS allocates university and college places based on merit, meaning candidates with higher cluster weights have an advantage when competing for limited spaces.

Speakers cautioned students against limiting their chances by selecting the same highly competitive programme across all their choices instead of diversifying their options.

They also urged applicants to check subject and cluster requirements before selecting programmes and consider previous admission cut-off points when making their choices.

Highly competitive courses such as medicine, pharmacy and engineering attract more than 10,000 applications for fewer than 1,000 available university places, making strategic course selection critical.

The students were also encouraged to broaden their understanding of career opportunities and avoid the perception that STEM-related careers are the only pathway to success.

Prof Annette Okoth said the definition of science extends beyond the commonly recognised subjects of Mathematics, Chemistry and Biology to include social sciences.

“We have the natural sciences and the social sciences, all of them complement each other,” she said.

The speakers encouraged students to consider their strengths, academic performance and career aspirations when selecting courses rather than following popular trends or choosing programmes solely because they are perceived to offer better career prospects.