Bumula Member of Parliament Wamboka Wanami has moved to ensure officials from private universities are not selected as part of the Kenya Universities and Colleges and Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) board of management.
Wamboka proposed the exclusion through The University (Amendment) Bill 2023, tabled in Parliament in early August 2023.
According to the lawmaker who was elected on the DAP-K party ticket, excluding private universities would safeguard the Universities Fund by ensuring the money is allocated to public institutions only.
KUCCPS places students in tertiary institutions, which are funded by the money provided by the Universities Fund Kenya. Prohibiting private institutions from dictating how students are placed will thus largely influence how the funds are dispersed, especially at a time when public universities are facing a cash crunch.
"The Bill proposes amendments to section 55(3). The provision removes the two Vice-Chancellors representing private universities membership in the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service board," reads part of the bill.
According to the bill, KUCCPS shall be governed by 11 members appointed by the Cabinet Secretary, including the chairperson, the secretary of the commission, the chief executive of the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), and the chief executive of the TVET Funding Board.
Other members include the chief executive of the TVETA, two Vice Chancellors representing public universities, two representatives of the Kenya Association of Technical Institutions, the Principal Secretary (PS) in the ministry responsible for higher education, and the PS in the ministry responsible for finance.
Wamboka further proposed a framework for the exclusive placement of government-sponsored students in public universities.
This is set to ensure KUCCPS prioritises public universities when allocating university slots to students who have attained the minimum entry grade of C+ and above.
KUCCPS will be required to publish and publicise the proposed amendments within 30 days, highlighting the new changes in the placement of government-sponsored students.
The MP suggests that the provisions of the act shall be implemented six months after its commencement.
In May 2023, Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu explained that the government will no longer pay fees for government-sponsored students who opt for private universities.
The CS noted the move was to resolve the funding crisis in public universities and make them financially sustainable.
To further guarantee this, the government unveiled the Higher Education Financing Portal, a new funding model that will focus on a more student-focused approach when dishing out funding.
University and TVET students apply for scholarships, bursaries, and loans through the portal branched away from the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), which used to offer loans to all students. However, private students from private institutions will only be eligible for government loans, not scholarships like their counterparts in public universities.
Continuing students under the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) will not be affected by the new funding model.
