Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu on Monday, November 7, made a u-turn on his earlier declaration that the state would cease funding public universities.
In a statement issued by the Ministry of Education, Machogu announced that universities would access funding provided they met the conditions set by the government.
The CS spoke during a meeting with heads of Universities State and Government Agencies (SAGAs) -at the ministry’s headquarters at Jogoo House B, Nairobi.
“Ezekiel Machogu advised Universities to the right size on administrative and staff structure in order to secure funds for University development,” the statement read in part.
The CS reiterated his clarion call for universities to tap into the global funds allocated to institutions of higher learning for Research and Innovations to self-finance themselves.
Machogu petitioned the education stakeholders to look into better reform mechanisms in the University Sector in order to chart a clear way forward on strengthening the docket.
"The CS thanked the University stakeholders for the efforts towards ensuring learners get quality education and has promised frequent engagements in order to meet the performance targets in the sector," the Ministry wrote.
Some of the agencies represented in the meeting include the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement and Service (KUCCPS) and the Higher Educations Loans Board (HELB).
Others are The National Commission of Science, Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI), Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA), the National Research Foundation (NRF), the Universities Funds Board (UFB), and the Commission for University Education (CUE).
Machogu came under fire over his announcement on November 5 that funding had exerted pressure on the National budget and that universities needed to reduce over-reliance on the state.
A number of leaders including those allied to President William Ruto questioned the move arguing that the institutions of higher learning were entitled to state funding by virtue of being public institutions.
Since 2021, universities have been confronting a financial crisis with public institutions forced to shut down some of their satellite campuses and increase tuition fees to keep afloat.
