In a bold move to address dwindling university enrollment, the government has announced a sweeping reduction in tuition fees by as much as 40 percent for students joining universities this year.
Education Cabinet Secretary Dr. Julius Migos Ogamba revealed the changes during the release of the 2024 KCSE placement results, noting that the new fee structure will take effect in September.
The decision comes amid growing concern over the high cost of university education and the underwhelming uptake of available slots.
According to data from the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS), only 310,502 out of 965,501 KCSE candidates secured placement in universities and colleges leaving over 650,000 students unplaced despite institutions having the capacity to admit 983,137 students.
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Medicine, long considered one of the most expensive courses, will see the steepest cuts. Currently, first-year students at Kenyatta, JKUAT, Maseno, and Moi universities pay up to Ksh612,000. In contrast, Egerton and Masinde Muliro universities offer the same programme at nearly half the cost, Ksh337,940 and Ksh306,000 respectively.
Dr. Ogamba emphasized that institutions charging the highest fees will be most affected by the rationalization. “We are harmonizing tuition costs across programmes, especially those that have historically been unaffordable,” he said.
The Ministry of Education is also expanding the criteria used to assess financial need under the revised Means Testing Instrument (MTI). The new model will consider factors such as family income history, land ownership, past school fee payment patterns, medical expenses, Hustler Fund applications, and sponsorship status.
The government hopes that the fee cuts, combined with a more inclusive funding model, will reverse the trend of students shunning higher education. Popular programmes such as Medicine, Engineering, Nursing, and Education remain in high demand, despite their cost.
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Other high-cost programmes include Dental Surgery (Ksh612,000 at Moi and Ksh512,050 at the University of Nairobi), Architecture (up to Sh367,200), Pharmacy (up to ksh492,660), and Veterinary Medicine (Ksh442,850 at UoN). Engineering courses at the University of Nairobi also top the list, with first-year fees at Ksh374,850.
While the ministry is yet to release the exact revised fees, the move is aimed at making higher education more accessible and equitable
By Masaki Enock
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