‘Gov't to stop funding public universities,’ Education CS Machogu now says

The Kenyan government will no longer fund public universities and colleges, Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu now says.

Speaking on Saturday at the Dedan Kimathi University of Science and Technology in Nyeri County, CS Machogu said that the current financial crisis affecting the institutions called for alternative sources of income for the institutions to ease pressure on the government.

He thus urged the public institutions of higher learning to embrace research, innovation, and technology to generate their individual income since the State is on the verge of withdrawing its financial support.

“In Kenya, education takes about 25.9 per cent and we have to find other ways of creating and generating revenues for universities and they have to look at other revenues,” he said.

“I’m going to move around each and every university in Kenya because a number is faced with financial problems and we are encouraging that they must generate their own income because the exchequer as it is now is not going to continue funding more.”

The announcement by the CS comes amid major universities across the country dealing with strikes over lack of funds.

Universities Fund Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Geoffrey Monari recently said the number of students qualifying for universities is increasing every year and that it's becoming unsustainable for the government to add financial allocation to support the institutions.

‘’The funding requirement for 2022 cohort of 145,145 students is Ksh.32.7 million while available funds are Ksh.12.6 million. The incoming cohort is larger than the graduates exiting by 52, 195 hence it’s expected that the funding requirements will increase,” noted Monari.

The CEO explained that the situation has been made worse by the 100 per cent transition for students attaining a C+ and above which has increased access to universities.

In 2019, about 11 universities were caught in a Ksh.9.7 billion tax evasion racket that threatened their closure.

Egerton University and Moi University are some of the top institutions which are grappling with a management crisis after lecturers laid down their tools over pay cuts.