Universities on the brink: Staff, students stuck as crisis deepens

 

Public universities are facing a fresh crisis after it emerged that students admitted under the new funding formula will not be required to pay fees until the court process is concluded.

It also emerged that these students will face delays in receiving their upkeep money.

Prof Daniel Mugendi, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Embu, said that universities have agreed not to demand payment from students under the new funding model until the issue is resolved.

“In terms of fees, we’ve agreed not to ask first and second-year students to pay until the matter is settled in court, as the exact amounts they owe remain unclear,” he explained.

However, investigations by The Sunday Standard revealed that some institutions are pressuring students to pay fees before being allowed to sit their end-of-semester exams.

READ: 250,000 students at risk as university funding model crumbles

Mugendi, however, stated that the lack of upkeep funds has forced many students to delay their return to university.

“First-and second-year students have not received their upkeep funds from HELB. Many are unable to pay rent or buy food, leaving them stranded at home instead of resuming classes,” he said.

Court ruling

Mugendi, who chairs the Vice-Chancellors’ Committee, noted that these challenges are the consequence of universities going without funding for five months after a court ruling nullified the new funding model.

The ruling has left nearly 250,000 students under the new model without upkeep funds for their daily expenses.

Additionally, all 39 public universities have not received government funding since October, plunging these institutions into a deep financial crisis.

In response, the government has filed a case seeking a temporary stay on the court order to restore funding and allow university operations to resume.

On Wednesday, Mugendi announced that the Vice-Chancellors’ Committee is pursuing a stay order to ease the strain on universities and students.

ALSO READ: Universities in crisis as State suspends new funding model

He described the dire state created by the court ruling, emphasizing the challenges universities face in managing operations.

“The universities have reopened, but due to the court ruling, first- and second-year students have been unable to access support from both the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) and the University Funding Board. This has placed the institutions in a very difficult position,” he said during a press briefing in Nairobi. So far, only Sh2.8 billion of the Sh13 billion in scholarships has been disbursed, leaving a Sh10.2 billion deficit. Similarly, only Sh5 billion of the Sh16 billion earmarked for student loans has been released, with Sh11 billion still pending.

This is despite ongoing efforts to recover from the academic disruptions caused by the lecturers’ strike in September.

The financial crisis has also triggered a wave of staff strikes across universities. Moi University staff announced on Monday that they had downed tools, just weeks after suspending a strike that began in August 2024.

In a joint statement, the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) and Kenya University Staff Union (KUSU) declared an indefinite suspension of services, citing the universities’ failure to honour agreements outlined in a return-to-work formula.

University lecturers had resumed work on November 23, following a deal between UASU and the Inter-Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum (IPUCCF).

The agreement included a commitment to fully implement the 2021–2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), valued at Sh9.7 billion. The government pledged to pay Sh4.3 billion by June 2025, with the remaining Sh5.4 billion to be paid in two instalments of Sh2.7 billion each.