The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has called for the government's clear communication on the recent court ruling regarding the university funding model while objecting to the plans to make Mathematics an optional subject at the senior school level.
Speaking to the press on Wednesday, April 2, the union emphasized that the Court of Appeal did not overturn the High Court's decision.
KUPPET members raised concerns over the fate of many students set to join universities and colleges in May and September, pointing to the widespread misinformation surrounding the court ruling.
“The Court of Appeal has not overturned Justice Chacha Mwita’s High Court judgment that declared this funding model unconstitutional, despite widespread misinformation suggesting otherwise,” one KUPPET member stated.
The members of the union criticised President William Ruto’s recent remarks on the new funding model.
“We condemn in the strongest terms President William Ruto’s misleading statements claiming victory for the state's push to implement this harmful funding model, which directly contradicts the court’s actual ruling,” the member added.
The union urged students to remain vigilant and document any challenges they experience under the new funding system.
“Kenyan students must remain vigilant against the government's persistent attempt to implement this exclusionary model despite the ongoing negotiations."
"We urge students to document any changes they face under this system and prepare to utilise the mechanism when it becomes available within the next week,” another member said.
On April 1, the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), in conjunction with the Universities Fund (UF), asked students to give comments on the new university funding model before April 4.
The two bodies revealed the move to call for public participation follows the ruling by the Court of Appeal’s stay order regarding the new funding model.
"UF and HELB therefore invite the public to submit comments and memoranda on the Appeals mechanism. The public participation exercise will run until April 4, 2025 at 5pm," the notice read in part.
On March 25, the Court of Appeal suspended a previous High Court ruling that had declared the government's new university funding model unconstitutional.
