Students joining universities in September are in tears as RUTO ‘refuses’ to fund them – Look! ZAKAYO has killed education in the country

Tuesday, June 11, 2024 - Students joining higher institutions of learning are staring at higher school fees after the Budget and Appropriations Committee proposed the reduction of the funding budget.

In the Report on the Consideration of the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the 2024/25 Financial Year released on Thursday, the budget for the Universities Funding Board shall be slashed.

The report prepared by the Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro-led committee proposed that Ksh5.2 billion should be slashed from the board's budget.

Due to the slashed budget, universities may be forced to increase school fees which will affect a majority of students. 

This would see more students failing to join universities.

Notably, the board is mandated to apportion funds to universities per the criteria established, it also mobilizes and receives funds for funding from government, donors, and other sources.

This proposal comes at a time when the new university funding model was introduced to ensure students of all categories get funding to join universities, colleges, and TVETs.

However, the funding model has faced challenges barely a year since it was operationalized.

Last Tuesday, complaints were raised before Members of Parliament that thousands of students had opted out of university due to a lack of proper facilitation arising from hiccups associated with the new model.

The hurdles forced the Education Committee to order universities to recall university admission letters arguing that there were anomalies in the fee structure despite the new model.

In the same vein, the MPs in the report proposed the reduction of the Commission for University Education (CUE) budget by Ksh40 million.

The Kenyan DAILY POST