Barrington Gesimba was overjoyed when he graduated with honours for a Bachelor of Science in Applied Computer Science from Daystar University on November 10, 2023. The ceremony was a watershed moment in his career and entry into the job market.
However, he has been unable to make any steps forward because he lacks the document he worked for four years to obtain. His degree certificate has been withheld, together with many others, over a debt owed to the university by the government until it is cleared.
“It’s difficult to apply for jobs. You can go through all the stages of an interview but when it gets to presenting your certificates, you’ve got nothing and people think you’re hiding something. It’s unfair on us,” he told the Nation.
His story mirrors those of thousands of students in private universities whose fate hangs in the balance following a dispute over payment of their tuition fees by the government in a programme the State is meant to pay for their education. In some extreme cases, students have had their studies discontinued over nonpayment of the fees.
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Under the programme started in the 2018-2019 academic year, the government would place students to private universities and partly pay for their tuition fees. However, the government did not meet its full obligation and private universities now claim Sh31.4 billion in pending bills.
“Up to now, I don’t know the amount owed to the university for my son’s education. I paid the Sh16,000 per year expected of me and for his food and accommodation. It wasn’t my wish that he went to a private university and no one asked me. Now he’s just in the house like someone who never went to school despite having completed his studies but with nothing to prove,” Ms Jeniffer Bwari told the Nation .
The universities through the Kenya Association of Private Universities (Kapu) have now written to Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu demanding payment of Sh31.4 billion owed to them.
In the Budget Policy Statement, private universities have been allocated Sh1,774,791,604 for the financing of government-sponsored students. According to Kapu, this is translates to a differentiated unit cost (DUC) of 10.12 per cent.
The DUC is the total cost of individual educational programmes in universities. The government is meant to pay 80 per cent of the DUC while the student and the university meets the balance.
This model was stopped last year when a new funding model was introduced for the students joining university in September last year.
It, however, still applies for the continuing students.
“This is very low since many programmes are very costly and private universities are struggling to educate government-sponsored students. It is, therefore, important that the amount allocated for this financial year be enhanced to 30 per cent DUC to private universities. Sir, we shall appreciate your intervention on this matter for the sake of the Kenyan students studying in private universities,” reads a letter to Mr Machogu by the treasurer of Kapu Prof Washington Okeyo. He is also the vice chancellor Management University of Africa.
Some 32 private universities participated in the programme. The cost of the programmes were in the range of Sh144,000 and Sh504,000 per academic year for the arts and science-based programmes, respectively.
The CEO Universities Fund Geoffrey Monari has confirmed the amount owed to the universities with the Pending Bills Verification Committee at the National Treasury. His form, seen by the Nation , was received on February 6, 2024.
“Some students in private universities have been discontinued, for example, Uzima [University]. We are just trying to see if some funds can be released to assist these students to finish studies. I hope people will see the big picture. It is a request which is yet to be considered. Public universities also presented their pending bills requests,” he told the Nation .
Under the funding model introduced last year, public and private universities are required to declare the cost of each of their programme and sign a memorandum of understanding with the government on the same. The costs are published on the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (Kuccps) to guide students as they make their applications.
