Government and Policy

KUCCPS Names Colleges Approved To Offer Diploma In Primary Teacher Education

BY Getrude Mathayo · September 18, 2026 11:09 am

The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) has put out its list of accredited institutions offering the Diploma in Primary Teacher Education (DPTE), and there are 25 colleges on it, spread across the country from Nyandarua to Garissa.

DPTE is a two-year program built around one goal: producing well-rounded, capable teachers who can walk into a primary school classroom and deliver. The Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) examines the course, so it carries the same national weight you’d expect from any KNEC-administered qualification.

Beyond just subject knowledge, the program is designed to give trainees real professional skill and the flexibility to keep up as Kenya’s education needs shift over time.

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Graduates go on to teach in either public or private primary schools, where they’re commonly known as P1 teachers a title that’s become shorthand across the country for this exact qualification.

It’s also worth knowing that DPTE doesn’t have to be a final stop. Plenty of teachers use it as a launchpad, moving on afterward to a higher diploma in education, then a degree, and eventually a master’s or even a doctorate if they choose to keep climbing the academic ladder.

As for what’s actually taught, the curriculum covers a fairly broad mix, languages, basic mathematics, child development, human and child rights, psychology, and administration, all tailored specifically to delivering the primary school curriculum effectively.

The entry bar is a mean grade of C (plain) in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) or its equivalent. Candidates living with disabilities have a slightly lower threshold, needing a minimum mean grade of C- (minus) in KCSE to be considered.

Here’s the full list of institutions KUCCPS recognises for the DPTE programme, along with their programme codes and the counties they’re based in:

INSTITUTION	Programme Code	County
Aberdare Teachers Training College	4480B59	Nyandarua
Asumbi Teachers Training College	4515B59	Homa Bay
Bishop Mahon Teachers’ Training College	4510B59	Turkana
Bondo Teachers Training College	4560B59	Siaya
Borabu Teachers Training College	4485B59	Nyamira
Bunyore Teachers Training College	4520B59	Vihiga
Chesta Teachers Training College	4440B59	West Pokot
Egoji Teachers Training College	4435B59	Meru
Galana Teachers Training College	4525B59	Kilifi
Garissa Teachers Training College	4580B59	Garissa
Kaimosi Teachers Training College	4425B59	Vihiga
Kamwenja Teachers Training College	4455B59	Nyeri
Kenyanya Teachers Training College	4460B59	Kisii
Kericho Teachers’ College	4395B59	Kericho
Kitui Teachers Training College	4550B59	Kitui
Kwale Teachers Training College	4535B59	Kwale
Machakos Teachers Training College	4475B59	Machakos
Mandera Teachers Training College	4445B59	Mandera
Meru Teachers Training College	4405B59	Meru
Migori Teachers Training College	4555B59	Migori
Moi Teachers College – Baringo	4495B59	Baringo
Mosoriot Teachers Training College	4490B59	Nandi
Murang’a Teachers Training College	4465B59	Murang’a
Narok Teachers Training College	4420B59	Narok
Seme Teachers College	4530B59	Kisumu
Shanzu Teachers Training College	4450B59	Mombasa
St. Augustine Teachers Training College – Eregi	4415B59	Kakamega
St. John’s Teachers Training College – Kilimambogo	4500B59	Kiambu
St. Mark’s Teachers Training College – Kigari	4430B59	Embu
Tambach Teachers Training College	4575B59	Elgeyo Marakwet
Tarbaj Teachers Training College	5375B59	Wajir
Thogoto Teachers Training College	4470B59	Kiambu
Ugenya Teachers College	4545B59	Siaya

With colleges scattered across nearly every region, from Turkana in the north to Kwale on the coast, prospective trainees have a reasonably good shot at finding an accredited institution close to home, rather than having to relocate across the country to pursue the qualification.