Students who would like to pursue a career in the field of hospitality and tourism shall now have an additional avenue to gain entry at Kenya Utalii College, owing to the new partnership with the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS).
Students will now be able to pursue the programs offered at the prestigious learning institution through the KUCCPS placement program, an initiative expected to reach thousands of students in the country. In an interview, the CEO of KUCCPS, Agnes Wahome, indicated the programs would be uploaded to the KUCCPS website in preparation for the 2026 university and TVET placement.
Addressing the press after holding a meeting with the management of Kenya Utalii College on Wednesday, January 20, Wahome said the partnership will ensure increased access to training for the tourism sector.
“This will ensure that there is fairness and merit when it comes to access to hospitality and tourism training, and it will also ensure that Kenya Utalii College attracts students from all over the country,” said Wahome.
She added that aside from placement, the collaboration will also work on labor market analysis, career paths, and grassroots outreach to inform learners about the opportunities that exist within the hospitality and tourism industry.
Utalii College Joins KUCCPS Placement Process
As stated by Wahome, the KUCCPS program is meant to ensure equity, fairness, and diversity in the recruitment of students for institutions of higher learning, a reflection of the diversity of the Kenyan people.
“Kenya Utalii College is the latest institution to join the fair, efficient, and transparent KUCCPS placement system,” said the Minister, adding that Kenya School of Law and Morendat Institute of Oil & Gas are among institutions that have recently joined.
The principal of Kenyan Utalii College, Mark Ogendi, has welcomed this move, terming it a great boost for the college, particularly with plans for expansion of campuses located in Kisumu, Kilifi, and Narok counties.
This is a college that is a member of the UN Tourism organization, having the mandate of training professionals who can handle the domestic as well as the global tourism market, having done so for over five decades.
This comes at a time when interest in pursuing post-secondary education is still high. Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has just released the KCSE 2025 examination results, which indicate that a total of 993,000 candidates sat for the examination.
Among these, 270,715 scored a mean grade of C+ and above to be eligible for direct entry to universities. A further 507,131 scored grade C- and above, and 634,082 scored D+ and above to be eligible to join different post-secondary training institutions.
As hospitality and tourism programs are set to be accessed through KUCCPS, stakeholders in the education sector have indicated that this may open up more students to study in one of the country’s major economic sectors.
