Students enrolling in higher education institutions this September may face higher tuition fees following a proposal by the Budget and Appropriations Committee to reduce funding.
The Report on the Consideration of the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the 2024/25 Financial Year, released on Thursday, indicates that the budget for the Universities Funding Board will be reduced.
The committee, chaired by Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro, has recommended a Ksh5.2 billion cut from the board's budget.
"Reduce Ksh5.2 billion (recurrent) from the University Funding Board - affecting students joining various universities in September 2024," states the report.
As a result of the reduced budget, universities may need to increase tuition fees, which could prevent many students from enrolling in higher education.
The Universities Funding Board is responsible for allocating funds to universities based on established criteria and also seeks funding from the government, donors, and other sources.
This proposal coincides with the introduction of a new university funding model designed to ensure all students receive financial support to attend universities, colleges, and TVETs. However, the new model has encountered challenges within its first year. Last Tuesday, complaints were raised before Members of Parliament about thousands of students opting out of university due to inadequate facilitation under the new model.
These issues prompted the Education Committee to instruct universities to recall admission letters, citing discrepancies in the fee structure despite the new model.
Additionally, the committee proposed a Ksh40 million reduction in the budget for the Commission for University Education (CUE).
In other educational matters, the committee suggested a Ksh200 million reduction in the budget for the Open University of Kenya, a Ksh90 million cut in the development budget for infrastructure support, a Ksh12.6 million cut in the development budget for public participation projects, and a Ksh30 million reduction in the budget allocated for building hostels.
"Increase Ksh6 billion (recurrent) for public universities to support continuing students funded under the old funding model of Differentiated Unit Cost," another part of the report reads.