New fees shocker dampens joy for varsity freshers
Parents and guardians with students scheduled to join public universities in the September intake have been shocked by the sharp increase of fees.
Though the 32 public universities had asked the government to allow them to increase the annual fees from Sh16,000 to Sh24,000, some have raised the fees by more than six times.
Last week, the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) launched the 2022/23 students’ results on the courses the students are to pursue in the next academic year.
All universities had been directed to indicate the cost of each course and the available spaces before students submitted their applications.
Higher Education PS Beatrice Inyangala had, in a circular dated April 4, also urged the institutions to share the information with the Universities Funding Board, indicating the cost of each programme.
“In reference to the statement by the President during the unveiling of the new University Funding Model, universities will therefore be required to declare and publicise the actual cost of their programmes,” Inyangala said.
Despite this, some universities have gone ahead to increase fees after students had made applications.
“The fees is too high and out of reach for many parents because it has gone beyond Sh100,000 mark,” a parent told People Daily, yesterday.
For instance, a student joining Machakos University to study Bachelor of Arts will be required to pay Sh110,000 in their first semester and Sh73,600 for the second semester.
A Laikipia University fee structure shows a student studying a Bachelor of Science (Biomedical Science and Technology) will pay Sh244,800 in their first year.
The amount has been split into Sh125,900 for the first semester, which begins next month and Sh118,900 for the second semester.
“No student shall be registered without payment of at least 50 per cent of the first semester,” the letter states.
Universities Fund chief executive officer Geoffrey Monari said no student would drop out of learning due to lack of fees.
“The only difference is that universities have publicly declared the fees that the government has been meeting. From those figures you can see the burden the government has been carrying. Under the new model of sponsorship, the government will still meet 80 per cent of the fee,” Monari told People Daily by phone.
Government-sponsored
At South Eastern Kenya University, the fees for Bachelor of Education (Science) is Sh249,300. In the 2023/24 year, students will be required to pay Sh126,900 in their first semester and Sh122,400 in their second.
At the University of Kabianga, Bachelor of Science (Communication and Public Relations and Bachelor of Education (Science)) first year students are expected to pay Sh244,800 split into Sh125,750 and Sh119,050 for first and second semesters, respectively.
For a government-sponsored student at Dedan Kimathi University, it will cost Sh340,000 to study Bachelor of Science in Nursing, with Sh157,450 and Sh182,550 for first and second semesters respectively.
To study Bachelor of Science (Computer Science), Bachelor of Science in Computer Systems Engineering and Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering, students are to pay Sh306,000 in their first year.
Rongo University’s structure shows that Bachelors of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Tourism Management as well as Hotel and Hospitality Management students will pay Sh204,000 annually.
At Kirinyaga University, students pursuing Bachelor of Science (Nursing) and Bachelor of Science (Clinical Medicine and Community Health) will pay Sh275,000 for a full year, paid in three installments of Sh91,800 for each of the three semesters.
At the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, students pursuing engineering and technology courses will have to part with Sh171,600 and Sh165,000 for first and second semesters, bringing the total to Sh336,600 for a year.
At Maseno University, students joining for Bachelor of Arts (Drama and Theatre studies with IT) will be required to pay Sh108,000 for semester one and Sh95,400 for second semester to bring the total to Sh204,000 a year.
At the Embu University, the fee ranges between Sh76,000 and Sh137,000 per semester, translating to between Sh183,000 and Sh275,000 for a full year.
According to the new funding model, financing is student-centred rather than block funding to institutions.
