- Higher Education PS Beatrice Inyangala has welcomed the Government’s plan to transition tertiary students to a proposed new funding framework.
- She says first-year students will initially be supported under the existing model before transitioning once the necessary legislation is enacted.
- The Government has meanwhile extended the funding application deadline for first-time university and TVET students to September 21.
The Principal Secretary for Higher Education and Research, Dr Beatrice Inyangala, has hailed President William Ruto’s Government over plans to transition students to the proposed new higher education funding model.
Speaking in Malava during an Uwezo Fund drive for women’s groups, she said the transition would provide relief amid delays that have left students, parents and institutions uncertain.
She said that after Parliament approves the Tertiary Education, Placement and Funding Bill, 2026, students across different years of study and institutions will transition to the new framework, while newly admitted students will initially continue under the existing system.
“During this period, our first-year students will be admitted using the existing model and once the new model becomes operational, after the proposed Bill currently in Parliament is passed into law, we will transition all our tertiary students, from first to sixth years at universities, KMTC, TVETs and teacher training colleges, into that model,” she said.
The Bill is currently listed before the National Assembly as the Tertiary Education, Placement and Funding Bill, 2026.
First-year students assured of funding
Inyangala said the Government was working to ensure that education receives the priority it deserves and praised the administration for efforts to cushion parents from the burden of education costs.
“Through our President, who values education, we want to reassure first-year students awaiting financial support that funds have already been set aside for their tuition and upkeep,” she stated.
Her position is consistent with the Government’s current transitional approach, under which first-year students continue to be processed through the existing Student-Centred Funding Model pending enactment of the proposed legislation.
Earlier, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba clarified that students joining universities and other tertiary institutions in the September admission cycle will initially be funded through the existing system.
His remarks came after the Ministry extended the funding application deadline for first-time university students and TVET trainees to September 21, with applications continuing to be processed under the existing Student-Centred Funding Model.
The original application window closed on August 31, after the Government received 789,422 applications.
Ogamba said funding for first-year students had been provided and would be released once the assessment of applicants was completed.
“There is money for the first-year students and once that assessment is done, they will be getting their resources. Probably by next week, their money both in upkeep and tuition, will be in schools,” he said.
Students wait for tuition and upkeep support
Newly admitted students have been facing delays in receiving government funding, with some paying different amounts towards their fees while awaiting clarity on the new framework.
Learners at some institutions have also raised concerns that they cannot complete academic registration because scholarship funds have not yet been released.
The uncertainty has affected students who are relying on government support to meet expenses such as accommodation, food and other upkeep costs.
Ogamba’s clarification follows President Ruto’s announcement that the proposed universal funding arrangement would begin after the necessary legal framework is put in place rather than being implemented immediately during the current intake.
As Parliament considers the Bill, Nyaribari Masaba MP Daniel Manduku said lawmakers intend to pass it and urged parents to enrol their children.
“The Bill is already in Parliament, and we intend to pass it so that our children can study under scholarships throughout their time at university. If you have a child at home, take them to university,” he said.
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The Ministry has maintained that eligible first-time students and TVET trainees who missed the August 31 deadline can still apply for funding until September 21.
By Wakhungu Andanje
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