Thousands of students in public universities are struggling with huge fee balances ranging from Ksh40,000 to Ksh200,000 due to the government’s failure to release funds for the second semester of last year.
The problem worsened because upkeep funds were also not disbursed during the period when the new university funding model was stopped by the court.
Many students are now in rent arrears, with some owing money to eateries and other service providers. While the chairman of the Vice Chancellors’ Committee, Prof Daniel Mugendi, has assured that they are engaging the government to convert the arrears into pending bills, some universities have already informed students to clear the amounts themselves.
The balances have already been reflected in student portals, and several institutions have warned that those who fail to clear them will be barred from sitting for exams in the coming semester.
Figures from the Vice Chancellors’ Committee show that 583,225 students are affected, with 134,743 joining in September 2023 and 448,482 enrolling in 2024.
Several universities have issued memos informing students that they will not graduate or sit exams without clearing the fees, although some are allowing classes to continue.
Prof Mugendi explained that the problem arose after the government approved a student scholarship and loan budget with a deficit of Ksh17.9 billion, meant for HELB and the University Scholarship Fund, but the funds were never allocated in a supplementary budget.
Higher Education PS Dr Beatrice Muganda Inyangala declined to comment and referred inquiries to Prof Mugendi.The delay has left parents and students frustrated, accusing the government of abandoning its commitment to affordable university education.
Student unions such as KUSO have demanded urgent intervention, calling the situation a rights issue. The funding crisis began when the High Court, through Judge Chacha Mwita, declared the new funding model unconstitutional in October 2024, saying it was discriminatory and lacked public participation.
The case, filed by KHRC, Elimu Bora Working Group, and the Students’ Caucus, argued that the model was confusing, costly, and harmful to needy students.
Although the Court of Appeal later allowed its implementation, the government failed to clear the arrears that had piled up between October and March.
The funding model, introduced in 2023, replaced equal funding with a means-tested approach that allocates scholarships and loans based on income bands.
While meant to target the most needy, it has been hampered by inadequate government allocations. Prof Mugendi warns that pending bills in universities, which had dropped to Ksh63 billion, have already risen to Ksh83 billion and could hit Ksh150 billion by June next year if the crisis is not resolved.
Some vice chancellors and lecturers now fear that without urgent government action, universities could cut services, delay exams, or force students to pay more, undermining access to affordable education.
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