Make varsity education funding realistic

The government's proposed overhaul of university funding is being marketed as a bold reform that will expand access to higher education.

Yet, beneath the polished promises lies a troubling reality that Kenya risks replacing an imperfect funding system with one that could condemn thousands of young people to years of financial hardship.

Education has never been an ordinary commodity. It is a public investment that fuels innovation, creates jobs, strengthens institutions and drives national development.

That is why governments across the world subsidise higher education. To transform university education into a debt-financed venture is to shift the burden of nation-building from the State to vulnerable families.

The proposed model, which seeks to abolish scholarships and channel more resources into student loans, raises fundamental questions.

What happens to graduates who leave university only to find a job market already struggling with unemployment? Kenya produces tens of thousands of graduates every year, many of whom remain unemployed or underemployed for years. Saddling them with loan repayments almost immediately after graduation is not empowerment; it is financial punishment.

 A graduate without a stable income cannot repay a loan. Instead, interest accumulates, defaults increase and debt follows them into adulthood. Young professionals who should be building businesses, buying homes and starting families will instead spend years servicing education loans. Such a system suppresses economic growth instead of stimulating it.

More disturbing is the widening inequality this proposal could create. Students from wealthy families will complete their studies with little difficulty, while those from poor households will graduate carrying enormous financial burdens. Education, which should be the great equaliser, becomes another avenue through which inequality is entrenched.

Government argues that recovering loans is more sustainable than issuing grants. Sustainability is indeed important. Public resources are finite, and accountability must be strengthened. However, sustainability cannot come at the expense of fairness. The real challenge is not scholarships; it is inefficiency, poor targeting, corruption and weak loan recovery mechanisms. These are administrative failures that require reform—not justification for withdrawing scholarships altogether.

Kenya must remember that investing in education yields returns far beyond the individual beneficiary. Doctors, engineers, teachers, scientists and innovators trained through public support eventually repay society through taxes, productivity and public service. Viewing every student as a borrower rather than a national asset reflects a dangerous policy shift.

Parliament must therefore subject this proposal to rigorous public participation before approval. Universities, students, parents, employers and education experts deserve to be heard. Decisions affecting millions of young Kenyans cannot be rushed through committee rooms.

The country certainly needs a better university funding model, but not one that mortgages the future of its youth. Kenya's greatest resource is not minerals or borrowed billions—it is its educated people. Burdening them with lifelong debt before they even secure meaningful employment is not reform. It is a costly mistake that future generations will struggle to forgive.