PS Inyangala: Universities expand access amid funding strain

Higher Education Principal Secretary Beatrice Inyangala. 

Kenya’s higher education sector is expanding access and lowering fees even as it faces funding pressures across government allocations, loans and university debt.

Higher Education Principal Secretary Beatrice Inyangala, speaking while appearing on Sema na Spox Bonga na Gava in Nairobi, said university enrollment has reached about 670,000 students across public and private institutions, driven by demand for medicine, nursing, law, ICT and education.

“We have about 670,000 students in all our public and private universities at the moment. The five most popular courses are medicine, nursing, law, ICT-related courses and education,” Inyangala said.

She said fees have dropped by between 15pc and 40pc under a revised student-centred funding model, with some vulnerable Bachelor of Arts students now paying as little as Sh5,814 per semester. She added that no funding appeals were reported this year after adjustments to the system.

In figures tabled before Parliament, Inyangala said the State Department for Higher Education had been allocated Sh155.2 billion for the 2026/27 financial year against a request of Sh311.9 billion, leaving a Sh156.7 billion shortfall.

Separate sector estimates place the total higher education funding gap at about Sh260 billion.

Public universities are also carrying Sh85.28 billion in pending bills, up from Sh60 billion in 2022. The Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) faces a Sh33.9 billion funding gap needed to support more than one million university and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) students this year.

HELB continues to disburse loans and scholarships. The State Department for Higher Education reports more than 835,000 learners have benefited under the revised financing framework.

Inyangala said universities have the capacity to admit all qualified students this cycle, with room for about 323,000 learners against 268,000 eligible candidates.

The Open University of Kenya (OUK) has about 24,000 learners from 54 countries. Of these, 9,000 are in degree programmes and 15,000 are in short courses. The government has set a target of 100,000 students by December 2026.

OUK was established in 2023.

Inyangala said universities raised nearly Sh11 billion in additional funding last year, including Sh8.5 billion from research activities and partnerships.

She said universities are shifting teaching models toward practical skills and problem-solving.

“Employers today are looking for graduates who can solve problems, innovate and adapt to changing work environments rather than simply memorising content,” Inyangala said.

Universities are also preparing for Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) graduates expected to enter higher education from 2029.