Government under pressure as over 150,000 first-years apply for scholarships

More than 150,000 first-year university students have applied for scholarships under Kenya’s Student-Centred Funding Model, highlighting the growing demand for government support as the country seeks to expand access to higher education while maintaining efficient and accountable financing systems.

According to Universities Fund Chief Executive Officer Edwin Wanyonyi, a total of 159,551 students had completed their Higher Education Financing (HEF) Portal applications by August 20.

Of these, 150,403 applications included the Universities Fund scholarship, comprising 149,761 scholarship-and-loan applications and 642 scholarship-only applications.

Another 9,148 students applied for loans only, while 5,732 applications remained ongoing or incomplete.

“Under the current Student-Centred Funding Model, the Fund administers Government scholarships to eligible students placed in public universities, using assessed financial need as a key determinant of scholarship support, " he said.

The applicants are part of the 202,133 students placed in public universities by the Kenya Universities and Colleges Placement Service (KUCCPS) for the 2026/2027 academic year.

Dr Wanyonyi said the growing number of applications demonstrated the need for systems capable of processing large volumes of applications accurately and transparently.

“For us, ISO certification is fundamentally about trust. It is about ensuring students that their applications and funding are handled through transparent and reliable systems. It is about assuring universities that funding processes are governed by clear procedures and accountability mechanisms,” Wanyonyi said during a ceremony in Nairobi where the Fund received ISO 9001:2015 recertification from the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS).

The certification, he said, should assure students that their applications and funding are processed through transparent and reliable systems, while universities should have confidence that disbursements are governed by clear procedures and accountability mechanisms.

The challenge is becoming increasingly significant as more young Kenyans qualify for university education.

Wanyonyi noted that only 62,581 students were eligible to join universities in 2017, compared with 270,715 candidates who attained the minimum university entry grade of C+ and above in the 2025 KCSE examination cycle. The figure was 246,391 in 2024.

Behind those statistics are families confronting the rising cost of university education and students whose aspirations depend on timely financial support.

“When we process a scholarship application, we are not simply processing data. We are processing someone's future,” Wanyonyi said.

The Universities Fund’s workload has expanded rapidly alongside demand. The number of public university students reached through scholarships rose from 118,153 in the 2023/2024 financial year to 253,042 in 2024/2025 and 408,879 in 2025/2026. The Fund projects approximately 608,879 beneficiaries in 2026/2027.

The expansion also carries a substantial financial burden since, through the Student-Centred Funding Model,  the government has disbursed approximately Sh47.9 billion in scholarships to public university students between FY2023/2024 and FY2025/2026. Government scholarships for FY2026/2027 amount to KSh30.1 billion, bringing the cumulative figure to about Sh78 billion. The Fund also disbursed an initial Sh2.5 billion allocations to universities in early August.

For private universities, approximately Sh19.96 billion has been disbursed under the Differentiated Unit Cost framework from FY2016/2017 to FY2025/2026, with another Sh974 million already released in the current financial year.

Against this backdrop, the ISO recertification assumes importance beyond compliance with an international standard. ISO 9001:2015 provides a framework for quality management, requiring organisations to maintain effective processes, manage risks, monitor performance and pursue continuous improvement.

Universities Fund Board Chairperson Prof Karuti Kanyinga said the certification would ultimately be judged by whether students and universities experience better services.

“The true test of this recertification will be whether we strengthen public confidence in the Fund at a time when fiscal space is reducing,” Kanyinga said.

His remarks raise the central issues confronting the financing model of increasing demand occurring at a time when government resources are under pressure.

As more students seek scholarships and loans, the Fund must balance competing demands while ensuring that financial assistance reaches deserving students accurately and on time.

Digital transformation is emerging as one response where in October 2025, with the Universities Fund launching an Institutional Portal and Online Donation Portal. The institutional platform enables universities and the Fund to exchange information centrally, supports real-time tracking of allocations and disbursements, and speeds up student-data verification.

“The Universities Fund launched its Institutional Portal and Online Donation Portal. The Institutional Portal provides a centralised mechanism for exchanging data between universities and the Universities Fund. It enhances transparency through real-time tracking of disbursements and allocations. It improves operational efficiency by accelerating student data verification and processing. And the Online Donation Portal provides an additional mechanism for mobilising resources,” Wanyonyi said.

Yet technology alone cannot resolve every challenge. The continued presence of thousands of incomplete applications shows the importance of communication, accessibility and responsive support alongside digital systems.

The Fund has therefore urged students whose applications remain incomplete to finish the process by August 31, 2026.