Taskforce proposes increase of university fees to KSh52,000; Sent back to drawing board

The Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms (PWPER) has recommended the increase of fees paid by government sponsored students in universities.

The taskforce, which presented its report to President William Ruto last week Thursday February 16, proposed the increase of this fee from the current KSh16,000 to KSh52,000 per semester.

The Prof. Raphael Munuve-led taskforce also recommended that government bails out cash-strapped public universities, which have an accumulated debt of over KSh56.13 billion.

PWPER also says that the president should continue being the appointing authority for university chancellors. However, the taskforce wants the input of the Cabinet Secretary for Education and the university’s Senate to be sought in this process.

Queries 

It is however reported that President Ruto and his team were not very happy with the taskforce's report, terming it ordinary and asking its members to come up with better recommendations.

With regards to bailing out debt owed by public universities, President Ruto reportedly questioned the rationale behind the proposal and whether it was sustainable in the long run. 

Ruto's advisors also questioned the idea of bailing out universities without proper structures to prevent the institutions from finding themselves in the same ditch again.

The president and his team were however impressed by the proposal to establish the Open National University, with a technical committee already set for its launch in May this year.