Nairobi — University funding for needy and vulnerable students faces a crisis as the National Treasury delays disbursing approved Sh 19.8 billion.
Despite the allocation for scholarships, only Sh 7.9 billion has been disbursed so far, leaving many students without crucial financial support.
"We are currently engaging Treasury to be able to disburse the deficit so that we can disburse it to the higher learning institutions," stated UF CEO George Monari.
University management expressed concern over the delay in disbursing government funding to new students, emphasizing the imminent crisis.
"We have engaged university heads and issued them with promissory letters of commitment that we shall be able to disburse immediately those funds once they are given to us," assured Monari.
Under President William Ruto's administration, needy students receive government scholarships and loans. The allocation is based on the Means Testing Instrument (MTI), ensuring students' financial needs are adequately met.
"This funding model ensures that needy students receive up to 53% in scholarships and 40% in loans, with their households covering only 7% of the university education costs," explained Monari.
First-year students from the 2022 KCSE cohort are the initial beneficiaries of this new model.
In the approved estimates for the current financial year, the University Fund was awarded Sh 34.1 billion for University grants. However, only Sh 19.9 billion has been disbursed, affecting 369,029 continuing university students allocated under the differentiated unit cost model.
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