The government has released Sh3.9 billion in scholarships for first-year students in public universities, Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu has announced.

Machogu said the amount is the first tranche of financing to cover scholarships for Government-sponsored first-year students in public universities under the New Higher Education Funding Model.

“Beneficiaries of the scholarships are those who successfully made their applications through the Higher Education Financing portal (www.hef.co.ke) that was launched on August 31, 2023,” he said in a statement.

A total of 115,892 first-year students successfully applied for scholarships by November 29, 2023.

The Universities Fund will disburse the Sh3.9 Billion directly to individual universities for the successful applicants to cover their tuition fees based on the student’s individual needs under the New Funding Model.

resolved,” he added.

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The CS said all universities will receive the scholarship portions for their respective students on December 4, 2023.

“The release of the scholarship amount brings to Sh9.2 Billion the amount of money the Government has so far released to first-year students under the New Higher Education Funding Model that President William Ruto launched on May 31, 2023,” Machogu said.

Early this month, the Government, through the Higher Education Loans Board, disbursed Sh5.3 million for loans to first-year students.

Machogu said the allocation of funds to students was based on a reliable scientific method, Means Testing Instrument (MTI), which determined the student’s level of financial need to ensure they are supported adequately.

First-year students who sat the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education Examination in 2022 are the first cohort to benefit from the new model.

“The Ministry of Education wishes to express the Government’s unwavering commitment to promoting access to university education, and providing financial support to all deserving students,” Machogu added.

Under the new model, students falling under the vulnerable and extremely needy band will qualify for 100 per cent government funding.

Funding for their studies will be through scholarships and loans.

Those from needy and less needy households will get 93 per cent of government funding, with the students bearing 7 per cent of the tuition costs.

Needy students joining universities will receive government scholarships of up to a maximum of 53 per cent and loans of up to 40 per cent.

Their households will only pay for seven per cent of the cost of their university education.

First year students to start receiving Helb loans from November 7

CS Machogu says students should ensure their bank details are correct and up to date.

Parents of first-year university students who had hinged their hopes on funding from the government received a major shock after the institutions of higher learning gave them one week to clear all fees arrears. Tired of waiting for disbursement from the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) and the University Fund Board, the institutions have said that only students who will have cleared fees balances for the first semester by end of this week will be allowed to sit for their exams.

Some universities have, however, indicated that only students who will have cleared 60 per cent of the fees by November 23, will be allowed to sit the end of semester examinations. The government has only disbursed the Helb loans to some students and for most cases, it has only remitted a fraction of the amount required. For instance, some students pursuing Bachelor of Science in Computer Science who are required to pay Sh153,800 have so far only received Sh45,000. But public universities now say that regardless of the “promised allocation” by the government, each student must pay the full fees if they are to remain in the institution.

For example, students at Kirinyaga University have been instructed to pay 60 per cent of the fees for the first semester by November 23, 2023 to be registered for registration of course units. “All students irregardless of the allocation MUST pay their due fees by the above date. Students who will not have cleared 60 per cent of the fees by the due date will not be able to access University facilities,” notice from the University Academic Registrar Wallace Kamau, dated November 17, 2023 states.

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Kirinyaga University, like all other public universities, is scheduled to commence its end of first semester examinations on December 4, 2023 ahead of the short break before Christmas. Other public universities that have already issued notices to students to pay all the first-year semester fees by the end of the week include Masinde Muliro, Masai Mara, Kisii, Maseno, Kenyatta, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), Machakos, Kibabii, Dedan Kimathi and Karatina.

The directive by the universities has caught parents flat footed after the government delayed disbursement of the loans and scholarships even after promising that no student would be turned away from the public institutions due to lack of fees. The government had in August directed the universities and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) to admit the students without payment of anything as it put its house in order after introducing a new funding model.

Yesterday, Prof Daniel Mugendi, who doubles up as the chairman of the Vice Chancellors Committee as well as the Embu University Vice Chancellor, said though each institution has its own policy in regard to fees clearance, it is imperative that students clear all fees before the end of each semester. “For example, we at Embu have a policy that all students clear their fees before they can sit for end of semester examinations and there is no compromise over that,” Prof Mugendi said.

He however said the Vice Chancellors Committee is yet to agree on how they handle the issue of the 2023 freshers whose loan and scholarship disbursements were delayed by the government.

“It is a very unfortunate situation for parents of first year students. But we are going to meet in the course of this week to see whether we can come up with a special consideration for the first years. The period given to the parents to clear the fees is just too short,” Prof Mugendi admitted.

Prof Stephen Kiama of University of Nairobi confirmed that though their hands have been tied on whether to defy the government directive and send away the students for fees, time has reached when they have made a decisive action. “As a measure towards our institutions getting out of financial crises, most of the public universities have decided not to allow students with fees balances to sit for end year semester examinations. I don’t think this policy is going to change despite the inherent technicalities occasioned by the delay to disburse the funds,” Prof Kiama said.

Although the government had last week indicated that it had finalised computing the funding modalities, only HELB has disbursed part of the funds to universities as it says it is still working on the TVETs one. No communication has been forthcoming from the University Funds Board, throwing the entire process into disarray. To further complicate matters, the government is yet to release the students’ funding categories, throwing the universities management into confusion over the amount of money each parent is required to pay.

Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu has said that First Year students in institutions of higher learning will start receiving funds on Tuesday, November 7, 2023.

Machogu said that the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) has finalized the processing of loans for First Year students in universities and technical and vocational education and training (TVETs) under the New Higher Education Funding Model.

“The Ministry wishes to inform successful applicants that the funds will be disbursed to their respective universities and student accounts starting November 7,” the CS said in a statement.

He urged students to ensure that their bank details, as provided in the application for the loans, are correct and up-to-date.

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Students have been threatening to stage countrywide demonstrations to push for the release of funds.

A section of student leaders drawn from various universities and TVETs last week decried what they described as untold suffering for thousands of vulnerable first-year students who are yet to receive funds under the new funding model two months after they reported to school.

On Thursday, Machakos University students made good on this threat and took to the streets to protest the delay.

Police were forced to lob teargas canisters to disperse the demonstrating students and restore order in Machakos town.

Similarly, the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU), Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), and Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) have been demanding the immediate release of capitation for First Years in universities to save them from imminent collapse.

They raised concerns over the privatization and commercialization of education in the wake of delayed funding to public learning institutions, inadequacy, and irregular disbursements of funds in the sector.

In a joint statement presented last week by UASU Secretary General, Dr Constantine Wasonga, the unions said the government has elaborate and well-documented financing of education policies and strategies, but implementing these macro-policies.

“Delays in funding disbursement have led to low participation rates, the registration of courses, and students’ inability to attend classes on time.

“It is important to ensure that the education calendar is aligned to the fiscal year in addition to the introduction of an equity funding model at all levels of education with the aim of enhancing equitable access to quality and inclusive education,” Wasonga said.

Wasonga said the government must disburse funds allocated for education in a consistent and timely manner to avoid financial crises in learning institutions.

Public universities and colleges are facing a major financial crisis following the government’s delay to release funds for new students.
Almost three months since public universities, technical, vocational education and training institutions (TVETs) and other middle level colleges were ordered to admit students without any fees, the Ministry of Education through the Universities Fund and the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), is yet to release the money.
Managements of public universities and colleges are now grappling with the challenge of keeping the more than 275,000 students in their institutions for the last three months without money for operations.
Of this figure, over 175,000 are undergraduate students, with an additional 70,000 enrolled in TVET programmes who were scheduled to benefit from the loans, which fall under the Old Higher Education Funding Model (OFM).

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Besides struggling to source for funds for their operations, some of the 39 public universities and several TVETs have not paid their lecturers for the last three months, a situation that has prompted them to consider going on strike.
Yesterday, Prof Daniel Njiru, the Vice Chancellor of Embu University, who is also the chairman of the Vice Chancellors’ Committee, said the directive to admit students without financial backing had left them struggling to maintain their operations.

“Some of us have been forced to divert funds from parallel degree programmes to finance our operations. Thankfully, the government has released some funds for second, third and fourth years which we have been relying on,” Prof Njiru told People Daily.

Prof Njiru, like his colleagues, has found himself in a Catch 22 situation – whether to ignore the government’s directive and send students home for fees or devise ways of surviving against all odds.
“It is a government policy that we cannot contravene. So we have to keep the leaners with us as we continue praying that the government will release the funds soonest,” says Prof Njiru.
The Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) Secretary General Dr Constantine Wesonga wondered why the government sent learners to universities without providing funds to the institutions.
“The situation is dire and unless the government moves with speed to address it, the lecturers will not take it lightly. Even our students are becoming restless and sooner than later, we may start witnessing unrest in some institutions,” he warned.
The Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) warned that operations in the institutions were almost grinding to a halt unless urgent measures are taken to address the situation.
KUSU Secretary General Dr Charles Mukhwaya said besides the effects on staff emoluments, many students are not turning up in lecture halls.
“We have been engaging respective university councils with a view to coming up with a holistic solution to the problem. Thousands of students are not attending lectures due to the funding issue. A hungry person cannot attend classes,” Dr Mukhwaya said.
It has been established that tension was rising among the students who accuse the government of failing to release funds to enable them secure accommodation, food, transport, stationery and other basic needs.
Yesterday, HELB Chief Executive Officer Charles Ringera attributed the delay in the disbursement of funds to lack of resources.
“Probably by next week things could be okay. Our main problem has been lack of money, but once Parliament approves the supplementary budget sought by the National Treasury, we will sort out the universities,” Ringera said.

Last week, National Treasury Cabinet Secretary Prof Njuguna Ndung’u sought Parliament’s approval of an additional Sh187 billion to fund government expenditure in the 2023/24 financial cycle.
Out of the total, Prof Ndung’u has allocated Sh29.31 billion to cater for scholarships for first year students in universities and colleges.
In July, President William Ruto’s government rolled out a new funding model, the Variable Scholarships and Loan Funding for universities and Technical, Vocational Education and Training Institutes.
Under the new model, students from vulnerable and extremely needy households were to receive 100 per cent funding while the needy and less needy were to get 93 per cent government funding with parents/guardians meeting the remaining seven per cent.

The new model, that combines scholarships and student loans, which will be determined by an individual’s level of need as well as the cost of the programme, is expected to cost Sh39.4 billion for the 2023/24 financial year.
HELB is expected to handle the loan component while the Universities Fund will grant the scholarships.
But a few days before the institutions admitted learners, Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu directed all public universities, colleges and TVETS to admit first year students and trainees from the 2022 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE).
“Universities and colleges shall admit all students from the 2022 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education cohort as placed by the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service, pending the processing of their applications for funding,” Machogu’s circular stated.
When he appeared before the National Assembly’s Education Committee, Machogu promised the lawmakers that no student would be dismissed for lack of funds.
Moreover, the CS promised that universities and colleges would receive the necessary funds within the first week of September to ensure admission of first-year students.
Tension is building in most of the public universities and TVETS, with students threatening to take matters into their own hands should the government fail to disburse the funds immediately.
Severely affected are students from the vulnerable, extremely needy and needy categories of the funding model, who had expected to use the funds from HELB to meet their basic needs such as food, accommodation, stationery and transport.

Students from vulnerable families say they have defaulted on their rents, are being forced to skip meals and have to do everything possible to survive under the harsh conditions.

Under the current arrangement, all students cater for their accommodation (whether inside or outside the institution), buy meals, stationery, equipment for technical and science subjects and other basic items.
Student leaders, who attended a stakeholders forum in Nairobi, threatened to stage countrywide protests to call for immediate release of funds.

The students are also lamenting that the recent review of the new higher education funding model will have far-reaching effects on thousands of learners.

Early last month, students of Multimedia University in Rongai, Kajiado County, held a demonstration over the funds delay which they said had affected their studies and living conditions.

Last week, Technical University of Kenya (TUK) lecturers held a demonstration in Nairobi’s city centre to demand the release of funds to enable the university pay them their September and October salaries.

Principal Secretary in charge of Higher Learning and Research Dr. Beatrice Inyangala has dismissed claims that universities are sending away government-sponsored students over tuition fees.

Inyangala dispelled as fallacious, the information published in some local dailies and on social media platforms saying that no higher learning institution has demanded fees from the students.

Speaking during the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) 12th annual innovation open day, the PS upheld that the Ministry of Education is still categorising students being admitted to universities to determine those who will be fully sponsored by the government, vulnerable, the needy and less needy.

“We are still processing admission to the universities so that we can categorise the students into various categories. The period has been extended so that we serve all students. As it is, I want to unreservedly confirm that no university has sent students away because of tuition fees,” stated Inyangala.

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Having been implicated in chasing away students because of tuition fees, JKUAT Vice Chancellor Prof Victoria Wambui Ngumi cleared that no student is being asked to pay a single penny at the moment.

She stated that out of 6,000 students the university has received so far, none of them has been sent away, adding that the learners are currently undergoing orientation before they start the actual learning.

“We have not and will not ask any student to pay fees. The students are going through their orientation before they start the actual learning. We have received over 6,000 students and are expecting more,” stated Ngumi.

Meanwhile, Inyangala challenged universities in the country to put more emphasis on research and innovation so as to provide solutions to a myriad of problems facing the communities and the country.

While lauding JKUAT for being at the forefront in providing academic programs that are designed to equip graduates with the skills that help the innovate solutions to challenges bedevilling the society, PS Inyangala added that innovations is the way to go in creating new opportunities.

“We have been encouraging universities to go out of the ivory tower to address the problems that affect our people. This is what we have seen today during the innovations open day.

“We have managed to see the use of drowns in solving food insecurity, creation of useful gas out of recycled materials and so forth. I am confident that if we go this way, we are not only going to resolve our daily problems but also help cut down on imports,” said Inyangala.

On her part, Prof Ngumi noted that the University’s research and innovation model is aligned with the country’s Vision 2030, whose tapestry is woven with threads of science, technology and innovation alongside education development.

“Higher learning institutions in the country have the key to unlocking innovative solutions that harmonise diverse fields, especially agricultural productivity with climate adaptation and mitigation strategies,” said Ngumi.

Among the innovations showcased at the event attended by university and secondary school students among other guests is the establishment of a cough syrup generated from snail slime and which is expected to treat children’s dry coughs.

This, the researchers believe, will be a ground-breaking solution and a game-changer to persistent coughs, especially among children under the age of five.

According to Dr Paul Kinoti, a lead researcher in the snails’ value chain project at JKUAT, his team has also been coming up with an array of products ranging from delicious snail meat, skincare products, organic fertilizers, and animal feeds.

“The JKUAT research project entails the analysis of the constituents of the snail slime to come up with a natural, organic and affordable syrup to address persistent coughs. We are excited that the efforts we have made over the years have not been in vain and have been validated,” he said.