More than 208,000 students set to join university in September 2025 may be left without government sponsorship due to delays and gaps in the national budget planning process.
This growing concern has been raised by Members of Parliament, with the National Assembly’s Education Committee — led by Tinderet MP Julius Melly — warning that the situation could become a crisis if urgent adjustments are not made to the 2025/2026 national budget.
MP Julius Melly revealed that the government needs an extra Ksh17 billion to adequately cater to the new group of government-sponsored first-year university students.
Without this additional funding, many of these students may miss out on vital scholarships, especially those from poor families who heavily rely on government support to access higher education.
The scholarships in question are issued to students placed in public universities and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions through the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS).
Unlike the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), which offers loans that must be repaid after graduation, government-sponsored scholarships are grants based on academic performance and financial need — they do not require repayment.
Melly emphasized that without immediate financial intervention, many qualified and needy students may be forced to forgo their university dreams due to lack of tuition and upkeep support.
In addition to the challenges facing university students, the Education Committee also flagged potential funding cuts for basic education.
The committee is recommending reductions in the capitation funds allocated to Secondary Schools (cut by Ksh3 billion), Junior Secondary Schools (cut by Ksh2 billion), and Primary Schools (cut by Ksh900 million).
These funds would be redirected to finance the administration and invigilation of national exams, a crucial area that had initially been left out of the proposed budget.
“National examinations are essential to the credibility of our education system. If we don’t provide adequate funding, the quality and reliability of student assessments will be compromised,” MP Melly stated during a session with the Budget and Appropriations Committee.
The Education Committee is also pushing for the government to allocate Ksh7.3 billion to permanently hire 20,000 intern teachers before the end of their contracts later this year.
According to the committee, this move will ensure job stability for the teachers, improve retention, and enhance the overall quality of teaching in public schools.
To further address the shortage of instructors in technical colleges, the committee has proposed a budget of Ksh1.9 billion to hire 2,000 additional TVET trainers.
Melly explained that this recruitment is urgently needed to help close the staffing gap, which currently stands at 6,000 instructors.
“These funds will allow us to strengthen our technical training institutions by increasing the number of skilled instructors.
This will go a long way in equipping young Kenyans with practical skills that match market demands,” Melly added.
The committee has called on the government to take immediate steps to prioritize education in the budget.
Without swift action, thousands of students across all levels — from primary to tertiary — could be negatively impacted by underfunding, jeopardizing Kenya’s education goals.
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