Funding freeze throws universities into crisis, students left stranded
Speaking during a meeting with university chancellors on Monday, Higher Education Principal Secretary Dr Beatrice Inyangala said parents should shoulder students’ upkeep and accommodation costs as the new framework is processed. She said government disbursements would resume once the Bill is passed.
A deepening funding crisis is threatening to derail the new academic year in public universities and tertiary institutions, with thousands of students stranded at home or struggling on campus as uncertainty over the Government’s new financing model leaves families unable to meet mounting education costs.
The crisis has been compounded by the suspension of the existing university funding model as the Government awaits Parliament’s passage of the proposed Tertiary Education Placement and Funding Bill, leaving students caught between an old system that has been halted and a new framework that is yet to become law.
With uncertainty growing, the government has now extended the application window for tertiary education funding to September 21, 2026, giving students who missed the initial deadline another opportunity to apply for financial assistance.
In a statement dated September 3, 2026, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba said the initial application window, which covered university students and TVET trainees, closed on August 31 after receiving 789,422 applications.
The government has already disbursed Sh22.12 billion in first-semester or first-term funding to continuing university students and TVET trainees.
“Recognising that some eligible students and trainees may not have met the initial deadline on account of various causes, the Universities Fund and the Higher Education Loans Board have been directed to extend the application window for all eligible applicants to 21st September 2026,” Ogamba said.
“All eligible first-time applicants in universities and TVETs are invited to promptly apply for funding within this extended window,” he added.
But the extension comes as thousands of learners face a more immediate dilemma—how to report to university, pay fees and survive on campus while the Government’s financing framework remains in transition.
In Nyamira County, Davin Kemunto secured admission to Kisii University but says her family could not raise the Sh20,000 required for her to report to campus. She had also applied for a HELB loan but was yet to receive financial assistance.
“Nilikua nimeitwa Kisii University lakini wazazi wangu hawakuweza. Wazazi hawange-manage ku-deposit Ksh.20,000 ndio niingie, lakini sijui kama hiyo funding model inaweza nisaidie nisome for free. Nilikua naenda kusomea teaching ya secondary school,” she said.
At Machakos University, first-year students who reported about a week ago are also grappling with uncertainty over how their education and basic needs will be financed.
Continuing students at Kisii University have similarly complained about delays in disbursements, saying the uncertainty has made it difficult to plan their studies and meet expenses.
“Bado kuna confusion ingine kiasi. Tumejaribu ku-access portal kuangalia fee structure iko aje, imekuwa ngumu,” said Kisii University student Griffins Ouma.
Another student, Davis Orina, said the lack of clarity had left learners unable to establish how much they were expected to pay.
“Ingekuwa ya kitambo mtu angejua mambo yake. Kama saa hii niko confused, sijui fee nafaa kulipa ni kama ngapi, sijui hiyo ya government iko ama wamekula. Niko confused,” he said.
The government says the disruption is temporary as Parliament considers the proposed Tertiary Education Placement and Funding Bill.
Speaking during a meeting with university chancellors on Monday, Higher Education Principal Secretary Dr Beatrice Inyangala said parents should shoulder students’ upkeep and accommodation costs as the new framework is processed.
She said government disbursements would resume once the Bill is passed.
“The message that students join university as we wait the processing of the Bill has been taken very positively. Students who are vulnerable, very needy have been supported by universities to settle because most universities run a needy kitty,” Inyangala said.
Universities have consequently been encouraged to use their existing assistance programmes to support students facing financial hardship.
However, the proposed legislation is still at an early stage, having only undergone its First Reading and currently being considered at committee level in Parliament.
The result is a precarious transition that have left students stranded and are being asked to report to institutions while the financing system intended to support them is still being debated.
For vulnerable families, the uncertainty has translated into delayed admissions, unpaid fees, inadequate upkeep and students remaining at home despite securing university places.
