President William Ruto has defended the funding model for higher education, despite its rejection by some stakeholders and a court order that has suspended its implementation.
Speaking on Thursday during his state of the nation address, President Ruto said the model is designed to address financial instability within institutions of higher learning.
“This model gives priority to the most vulnerable students, offering them up to 95 per cent government support while also pulling our universities back from the brink of collapse,” he said.
The funding model that was rolled out in 2023 has faced backlash, with critics arguing that it risks locking out needy students from higher education due to high tuition fees and unclear implementation strategies.
The High Court suspended its implementation in September 2024, citing unresolved concerns about accessibility and equity.
Meanwhile, Nation.Africa has established that a presidential committee tasked with reviewing the model has not yet come up with actionable recommendations although its deadline has lapsed.
"We haven’t reached any solutions yet. We’re meeting again tomorrow [Friday], but there are still many gaps. The process lacks clarity, communication is poor, and it feels disorganised — possibly due to inadequate funding for the committee and a lack of transparency," a source at the committee confided in Nation.
In August, the government revealed that over 12,000 first-year university students had appealed for a review of their funding band categorisation.
“The processing of the appeals has now started and will be concluded within three weeks from the date of each appeal. The portal will remain open until December 31, 2024, to allow for late appeals. The re-categorisation will rely on the accuracy of the information provided regarding an applicant’s socio-economic background, affirmative action considerations, socio-demographic factors, and family education expenses,” read a statement from the Ministry of Education.
President Ruto acknowledged that "the remaining challenges for a few universities, like Moi University, are related to internal administrative and governance issues, which are being addressed,”
Moi University is among the institutions grappling with insolvency, alongside Egerton University and others. Structural inefficiencies and governance concerns have compounded these problems.
In his address in Parliament, President Ruto said the Kenya Kwanza government has hired 56,000 teachers and are in the process of recruiting another 20,000 by January 2025.
“We have also ensured the seamless transition of learners from primary to junior school, and domiciled Grades 7, 8 and 9 in primary schools, optimizing the use of existing infrastructure, ensuring the safety of young learners and protecting parents from the high costs associated with boarding schools,”he said.
However, in his manifesto, President Ruto had pledged to hire 116,000 teachers within two years of taking office to bridge staffing gaps. With about 23,000 junior schools, each junior school will receive, on average, only one new teacher — leaving many schools still severely understaffed.
As Grade 9 is set to roll out in January 2025, parents and stakeholders are voicing concerns about the lack of infrastructure in schools to accommodate the additional learners. This adds to anxieties about readiness for senior school transitions in 2026, where students must choose academic pathways based on interests and abilities.
Meanwhile, parents and stakeholders are raising concerns about broader education sector challenges, such as the rollout of Grade 9 in January 2025. Schools remain understaffed, with just one additional teacher on average for the 23,000 junior schools.
