Wundanyi MP Mwashako opposes proposed Tertiary Education Placement and Funding Bill

Wundanyi MP Danson Mwashako rejects proposed education funding law, warning it could lock out needy students. [File, Standard]

Wundanyi MP Danson Mwashako has rejected the proposed Tertiary Education Placement and Funding Bill, 2026, terming it an unworkable model that will create chaos in the education sector.

The MP promised to mobilise legislators to reject the proposed law, saying it will also erode the little gains made in the sector, currently facing serious challenges of underfunding from the government.

The new law seeks to overhaul higher education financing and replace the current student-centred model with a modified loan-based structure, which the legislator is not comfortable with.

He said the proposal to amalgamate the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) funding was wrong and ill-advised.

Mwashako advised Kenyans and MPs to reject the new model, as it will lock out needy and deserving students from pursuing higher education.

“Historically, HELB has been assisting many students from poor families to further their education with small loans, and we want the board to remain so that more students can continue getting financial support such as small and manageable loans and scholarships.

The government should continue with the current model of sending block funds to universities instead of issuing loans directly to students,” said Mr Mwashako as he opposed the new act which is before parliament.

The opposition legislator was speaking at Wundanyi Social Hall yesterday, where he distributed over Sh7.3 million in bursaries from the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) kitty to 208 university and college students.

He said the current education model has not worked well for Kenyans and wondered why the government is replacing HELB instead of strengthening it for the benefit of the poor students.

He noted that the Kenya Kwanza administration has run down the education sector due to bad governance, unworkable policies and failing to adequately fund it.

“The government is not serious about the management of the education sector, and it has been resorting to detrimental politics and trial and error in the important sector that is one of the key drivers of the economy. Kenyans and elected leaders should stand firm and say no to the proposed bill.

The direct loans that the government wants to introduce to University College students should be for pocket money only,” stated Mwashako.

He said during the former KANU and the late President Kiabaki's regimes, education was free, as students were only given small loans for pocket money to sustain themselves.

Mwashako warned Kenyans that under the new law, if passed by Parliament and assented to by the President, students who will be undertaking expensive courses like medical and engineering will be required to pay a colossal amount of money to further their education.

He said it will be difficult for poor students from poor families who have been depending on HELB, bursaries and scholarships to repay huge loans after completion.

“The trust deficit the government is enjoying now is low. Why give students loans and not scholarships to further their education? Under the proposed law, many students will be out of colleges,” posed the opposition legislator.

He claimed that education, water and health, among other critical sectors that drive the economy, were not being given much attention by the government.

Mwashako noted that these sectors have been mismanaged, adding that the country was not moving in the trajectory under the Kenya Kwanza administration, which has messed up the economy and should be voted out in the 2027 polls.

“MPs are being deducted Sh29,000 monthly for SHA, but I wondered why there are no drugs and basic equipment like gloves, among other items, in public hospitals. Poor Kenyans without any source of income are suffering at home and have no one to turn to, as the government has neglected them,” stated the Wiper Patriotic Front legislator.

“Kenyans should not glorify this government, as it has lost its credibility. That is why I have decided to lead a "one-term" slogan against President Ruto in the Coast region,” Mwashako added.

He at the same time urged the local community to support the opposition in its quest to remove President Ruto from power in the next polls.

“We are optimistic that the united opposition will form the next government,” Mwashako further added.