Is This Really 100% Government-Sponsored University Education?

At first glance, the proposal may sound like a return to fully government-sponsored higher education. But a closer look tells a different story.

The government says scholarships will mainly go to top-performing students. While that sounds fair on paper, the reality is that many top performers come from high-performing schools, especially national schools, where students from relatively well-off families are more common. Of course, there are bright students from humble backgrounds in these schools, but they are not the majority.

Higher education becoming expensive for a bigger majority.

The proposal also promises scholarships for poor and vulnerable students—the walalahoi. But here's the big question: what new method will be used to identify them that the 2023 student-centred funding model failed to use? If that system struggled to accurately identify genuinely needy students, why should Kenyans believe this one will suddenly get it right?

Then there is the financial reality. The government aims to mobilise Sh100 billion annually, yet the university funding deficit is projected to rise from Sh9.6 billion in 2024/25 to Sh11.3 billion in 2025/26 and Sh16.5 billion in 2026/27. Even more worrying, the combined funding gap for universities and student support is projected to hit Sh351.2 billion by 2030/31.

Data showing the current state of Kenya's Universities.Source: The standard newspaper Aug.6,2026.

Those numbers paint a worrying picture. Instead of reducing the cost of higher education, this proposal could leave more students depending on loans and graduating with even bigger debts.

The government still has time to convince Kenyans otherwise, but that will require more than promises. It will need a transparent scholarship system, a credible way of identifying the walalahoi, and a funding model that truly eases—not shifts—the burden of paying for university.

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