At Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, students are raising serious concerns about unfair treatment in how fees are charged.
A student recently wrote to Hon Robert Alai highlighting the growing frustration and confusion over the lack of transparency in fee payment.
According to the student, the same course is being charged at completely different rates for different students. For example, while one student pays Ksh 28,000 per semester, another pays Ksh 17,000 and yet another is forced to pay as much as Ksh 32,000.
To make matters worse, the same course at Kenyatta University costs just Ksh 15,000, almost half of what JKUAT students are being forced to pay.
The student described the situation as pure exploitation and explained how the university’s administration has continuously ignored demands for a clear fee structure.
Instead of releasing an official breakdown, the school operates in secrecy, leaving students vulnerable to random charges.
Those who try to speak out or ask questions reportedly face threats of expulsion or manipulation of their academic records. A procurement student in COHRED allegedly experienced this last year after questioning the fees, and their case shows how the administration uses fear to silence dissent.
What makes the matter worse is the complete silence from student leaders. Instead of defending their colleagues, they are accused of siding with the administration and protecting the very system that exploits the same students who elected them.
This silence has created a climate of betrayal where students feel abandoned by those meant to represent their interests.
The letter further revealed how this crisis is creating tension in families. Parents are beginning to lose trust in their children, thinking they are lying or misusing money because the students cannot justify the fluctuating fees.
With no official fee structure to present, students are left with nothing but frustration, shame, and helplessness.
This is a dangerous situation that not only undermines education but also damages the relationship between students and their parents, who sacrifice so much to pay for their studies.
JKUAT’s actions raise serious questions about accountability and fairness in higher education.
A public university funded by taxpayers should not be allowed to operate like a private business where rules change at will and students are intimidated into silence. The Ministry of Education, the Commission for University Education, and oversight bodies must be tagged and forced to respond.
Allowing such impunity to continue is a betrayal of the thousands of young people who look to education as their only path to a better future. If JKUAT has nothing to hide, then it should publish a clear, official fee structure and explain why students pursuing the same course are being charged differently.
Until then, this remains a shameful example of exploitation in Kenya’s education system, one that urgently needs intervention.
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