In a surprise move, the Ministry of Education scrapped all university fees that were to be paid by first-year students who join various universities from September this year. The students have been asked to await new guidelines.
In a press statement dated July 19, Higher Education and Research Principal Secretary Dr Beatrice Muganda Inyangala announced that the ministry will issue new fee guidelines on August 5, 2024.
“The Ministry of Education wishes to inform the public, particularly parents/guardians of students and students, that the fees payable by students and their families/ guardians as relates to the full cost of each degree programme as previously communicated in the admission letters is hereby nullified and does not apply anymore,” read the statement.
The new fees will be communicated by the respective universities on 5th August 2024, outlining the household contribution by each student.
The directive, which affects the 2023 KCSE cohort placed in various universities by KUCCPS, reassured students that their placement in academic programmes remains secure.
“It is also important for the students and their parents/guardians to note that their placement in the respective academic programmes remains unchanged. We wish to confirm that their places in the academic programmes are firmly secured,” the statement emphasized.
The government has been changing the HELB financing model. Last year, it rolled out a continuous higher university funding model that segregated students into four categories: vulnerable, extremely needy, needy, and less needy.