The University of Nairobi (UoN) has implemented a new fee structure for first-year students joining the university for the 2021/2022 academic year.
According to UoN Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of academic affairs, Julius Ogengo, the increased fees will apply to only self-sponsored students joining the institution, either for their undergraduate or postgraduate studies.
Ogengo, however, affirmed that the new fee structure will not affect continuing students.
"The revised schedule of academic fees shall apply only to self-sponsored first-year undergraduate and postgraduate students who report from September 20, 2021," Ogengo stated.
"The revised administrative and academic fees shall not apply to continuing students in 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th year. For these students, the fees with which they were first registered will subsist."
The fee structure has raised concerns among parents who will have to dig deeper into their pockets.
The university's recent proposal on fee increment had led to an uproar from parents and education stakeholders.
In the proposal, UoN had doubled the fees for postgraduate courses and parallel degrees.
Students undertaking courses such as Communications and MBA would have to pay Ksh600,000 for a two-year program from the initial Ksh275,000.
Undergraduate medical students, who are under government sponsorships, were to pay Ksh59,000 up from Ksh26,500. Self-sponsored students for the undergraduate medical course would pay Ksh640,000 up from Ksh445,000.
The proposal was, however, turned down by the High Court after a petition filed by the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU).
"Due to the constitutional and fundamental issues raised in this petition by UASU which touch on the core structure of the university, a conservatory order is hereby issued suspending the implementation of the proposed changes,” ruled Justice Onyango.
Other changes that would have been implemented include; abolishment of colleges from 35 faculties to a maximum of 11 as well as the replacement of five offices of Deputy Vice-Chancellors with two positions of Associate Vice-Chancellors.
The University Vice-Chancellor Stephen Kiama noted that the changes would lift revenues from the fees which has dropped in the past years. Further, student enrolment in the past year also indicated a significant drop.
According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) revealed in their report that enrolment at the institution dropped from 98,715 in 2016 to 62,963 in 2020. That is an accumulative drop of 36.2 percent.
