Hundreds of first-year students who secured admission to Kisii University are sitting at home, unable to join campus, after the government suspended its university funding model pending parliamentary approval of the proposed Tertiary Education Placement and Funding Bill.
The freeze on loans and scholarships has created a vacuum that is hitting the newest students hardest, many of whom arrived expecting a clear path to financing their studies only to find neither the university nor the government could give them straight answers.
Davis Orina, a first-year student at the institution, described the situation as deeply disorienting.
The university had yet to publish a clear fee structure, leaving him uncertain about what he even owes, let alone how to pay it.
“If things were as they used to be, someone would know what they are supposed to do and the fees they are supposed to pay. Right now, I am confused. I do not know how much I am supposed to pay in fees, and I do not know whether the government funding is available or what has happened to it. I am confused,” Orina said.
Nyamira Student Yet to Set Foot on Campus
Davin Kemunto from Nyamira County was admitted to pursue a Bachelor of Education at Kisii University but has not reported to campus because her family cannot raise the KSh 20,000 required for initial enrolment.
“I had been called to join Kisii University, but my parents could not afford it. They could not manage to deposit Ksh 20,000 for me to join, and I do not know whether the funding model can help me study for free. I was going to study the Bachelor of Education, secondary school option,” Kemunto said.
Her situation is not isolated. Fellow student Peter Kennedy said President William Ruto’s public promise to make university education accessible had set expectations that reality at the gate sharply contradicted.
“They came with the expectation that they are going to pay nothing because of the promise from the highest office in the land. Our first years are so confused,” Kennedy said.
