Government Announces Reduction of University Fees, Orders Institutions to Comply
- It is a reprieve for parents and students as the Ministry of Education directs the downward revision of university fees
- The new fees are to be implemented starting September 1, according to Higher Education Principal Secretary Beatrice Inyangala
- The directive comes after consultations pitting the government against tertiary education stakeholders, following complaints from the public over unaffordable university fees
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Students across public universities are to pay downwardly revised fees following the Ministry of Education's review.
Source: Twitter
Higher Education Principal Secretary Beatrice Inyangala issued a communique indicating the revised rates in all the programmes.
The circular was addressed to the vice-chancellors in the universities, calling for their strict compliance.
“Following extensive consultations with the public, students, and higher education stakeholders, the Government of Kenya is pleased to announce a landmark rationalisation of public university fees based on the Student-Centred Funding Model. In direct response to concerns raised by students and their families, the Government has lowered fees payable by students across all academic programmes,” partly read Inyangala's communique on Thursday, July 31.
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The new fees are to be updated in all the university directories with the rates applicable starting September 1.
“Public universities are hereby directed to adopt the new fees schedule, effective 1st September, 2025 for first year as well as continuing students. All public universities are further directed to update their admissions and finance portals to reflect the revised fees of academic programs,” the PS added.
How much will Kenyan university students pay as fees?
In the updated fee structure, students pursuing pre-clinical medicine will pay between KSh 12,960 and KSh 51,840 in a semester.
Clinical Medicine programmes are to charge KSh 22,371 and not exceed KSh 75,000 for a semester.
Pre-clinical dentistry shares the same range as pre-clinical medicine.
Veterinary Medicine (Clinical) fees range between KSh 20,546 and KSh 75,000 for a semester.
Architecture students will be charged between KSh 12,960 and KSh 51,840, whereas engineering surveying courses will cost between KSh 14,256 and KSh 57,024 each semester.
Meanwhile, degree programs in business, education, and economics will require tuition payments between KSh 7,525 and KSh 10,101 per semester.
Below is the full updated fee structure:
Source: Twitter
Source: Twitter
The revised fee structure follows the declaration by the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) that it is short of funds to issue new student loans for the current academic year.
How is HELB underfunded?
In the previous fiscal year, HELB’s financial requirements totalled KSh 48 billion, but it received only KSh 26 billion from the National Treasury for the current financial year.
This funding gap affected more than 100,000 students, some of whom received only partial support or were entirely left out.
A few managed to secure full loans, while others received only basic maintenance funds, leaving tuition costs uncovered.
HELB CEO Geoffrey Monari disclosed that the situation has deteriorated this academic year, especially in the second semester.
Source: Twitter
To reduce tension among students, the board prioritised living allowances, but this strained universities and TVET colleges, which rely heavily on tuition payments for operations.
Many of these institutions now face financial challenges, with delayed remittances impacting essential services and staff wages.
Meanwhile, HELB is also facing significant challenges with loan recovery as beneficiaries default despite some being employed and capable of repaying their dues.
Is government to blame for HELB cash crunch?
Even as the loans board decries underfunding, some quarters argue it is the making of the national government.
Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro recently claimed that the Exchequer has the capacity to adequately fund HELB, only that monies are freed to inessential causes and projects.
The MP argued that funds are being diverted to such projects as State House renovations and weekly economic empowerment, as HELB grapples with genuine requests for educational funding.
On Thursday, July 31, the government announced an increase in HELB allocation from KSh 36 billion to KSh 41 billion.
Eudaction CS Ogamba Migos said the increment would address the financial shortage the Board has been experiencing.
Out of the KSh 41 billion, Migos said KSh 13 billion has been released to fund the students' tuition and upkeep, while KSh 16.9 billion has been allocated to the Universities Fund for Scholarships.
Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
