Which way for Kenyan universities?

University and Academic Staff Union (UASU) Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga , Ministry of Education CS Julius Ogamba , and Higher Education PS Beatrice Inyangala after signing a return-to-work agreement. UASU agreed to call off the lecturers’ strike after 26 days of industrial action that had paralyzed teaching and learning in public universities. [Collins oduor, Standard]

Over the past two decades, the number of university students in Kenya has steadily increased, fueled by growing demand for higher education. However, this growth is not without its difficulties. 

Universities are grappling with issues ranging from overcrowding, declining resources, and a widening gap between the education offered and the job market’s expectations.

Kenya’s higher education system, like many in the Global South, has been rapidly expanding. According to UNESCO, global enrollment in tertiary education reached nearly 237 million students in 2021, with Sub-Saharan Africa, including Kenya, seeing significant growth. 

In Kenya, many public and private universities are struggling to balance the increasing number of students with the limited resources at their disposal.

The University Academic Staff Union (UASU) Secretary General Dr Constantine Wasonga said this was one of the issues why lecturers were on the street. They were demanding employment of more lecturers to align with the growing intake.

“We are reduced to teaching public rallies in universities. We will no longer do that; we want the government to employ more dons as it is doing with teachers in primary, junior secondary, and secondary schools,” said Dr Wasonga.

Dr Philip Amuyunzu, lecturer at Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST) said the higher number of students has stretched infrastructure in Universities.

“Many universities in Kenya are facing the challenge of overcrowding. We simply don’t have enough infrastructure to accommodate the growing number of students. This leads to strained resources and compromises the quality of education,” said Dr Amuyunzu.

Besides that, institutions of higher learning in the country are grappling with underfunding, with the majority forced to look for ways to keep the institutions afloat.

While taking over the reign at the Technical University of Kenya, Prof Benedict Mutua accepted his appointment as VC well aware of the challenges that TUK was facing. The challenges include: Inadequate funding, physical space, incomplete and stalled infrastructure; inadequate research and innovation capacities.

“Overcoming these challenges facing TU-K cannot be the responsibility of the Vice Chancellor alone. Therefore, I call upon all of us - academic, administrative and support staff, to work together as a team. Let us be open and honestly communicate to each other for the good of our institution,” said Prof Mutua.

Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) Secretary General Dr Constantine Wasonga and National Chairperson Grace Nyongesa addressing the media before their demonstration in Nairobi on November 18, 2024 demanding the government to honour their CBA agreement [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

TUK has raised concerns about reduced government capitation for July 2024.

In a statement, Deputy Registrar Stephen Karanja said the cut had caused a shortfall in the institution’s ability to pay full monthly salaries.

Staff below Grade Five will receive their full salaries, while those above this grade will only get 65 per cent of their wages.

Karanja added that the remaining balance will be disbursed once additional funds are available.

This issue is part of a wider funding crisis affecting universities. A report released in May detailed TUK’s financial difficulties, showing a debt of more than Sh10 billion.

The report, presented to Parliament, noted that TUK is among 23 out of 40 universities facing severe financial instability due to significant debts, with the total debt burden across all institutions reaching a record Sh76 billion.

Other affected institutions include the University of Nairobi with a debt of Sh18 billion, Kenyatta University with Sh9.538 billion and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) with Sh8.857 billion.

The financial challenges have led to defaults in pension payments, gratuities, insurance premiums, unpaid bills to suppliers, unremitted employee deductions and outstanding payments to part-time lecturers.

Experts warn that if the crisis is not addressed, universities may face the risk of closure.