Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha has urged universities to consider courses that they are offering to avoid duplication.
Magoha was addressing vice-chancellors on Monday during the high education conference.
“Why do you have to duplicate courses? Where this university is doing law, the other is doing the same. We cannot establish new universities that will only duplicate courses offered in existing ones,” Magoha said.
He challenged universities to offer courses that are beneficial to society.
Currently, Kenya has 74 universities, with 31 public universities, six public constituent colleges, six private universities, 18 private constituent colleges, five private constituent colleges and 14 institutions with Letters of Interim Authority.
No new university had been established in the last two years, with Magoha saying the freeze will continue to be enforced as one way of addressing the quality of higher education.
The education reforms were started in 2015 by Magoha’s predecessor, Interior CSFred Matiang’i.
The CS said that his office has received 30 requests for the establishment of new universities.
Magoha, however, dismissed the applications saying that the ministry cannot afford it.
Instead, he said there is a need to strengthen the universities that are already in place.