President William Ruto has made a major announcement that is set to change the face of higher education in Kenya. Speaking at State House, Nairobi, on Tuesday, July 21, the Head of State declared that every student admitted to a public university or college will now receive full government funding.
This means that going forward, no Kenyan student who qualifies for admission will be locked out of higher education simply because their family cannot afford the fees.
"Going forward, any student, so long as they have passed their examinations and they have been placed in a college or university, will get full funding for their higher education. It will be the choice for parents if they want to pay," President Ruto stated.
The President made these remarks while receiving a report on Kenya's long-term development vision, making it clear that education remains a central pillar of his administration's agenda.
The new funding model, which is contained in amendments already submitted to Parliament, will replace the current Variable Scholarship and Loan Funding Model that has been in place since May 2023.
Under the existing system, students were classified according to their financial need using a Means Testing Instrument, with government scholarships ranging between 30 and 70 per cent and parents expected to cover the remaining costs through household contributions and HELB loans.
This system has faced sustained criticism from students, parents and education stakeholders over concerns about its fairness and implementation.
President Ruto openly acknowledged that previous funding models had failed to deliver the desired results. He recalled how the Differentiated Unit Cost model, which was tried earlier, nearly caused many public universities to shut down. "We tried the differentiated model.
It didn't work because it made most of our universities almost close down. While we promised 80 per cent funding, we went down to 40 per cent and most universities suffered," he explained.
He also admitted that the hybrid model combining scholarships, loans and parental contributions, while intended to promote equity, still left many deserving students unable to pursue the courses they had qualified for.
Under the new proposal, parents who are willing and able to contribute towards their children's education will still have the option to do so. However, those who cannot afford the costs will receive full government support without any pressure to pay.
The President emphasised that a student's family background will no longer determine their access to higher education. "It will not matter the background of any child in Kenya. It will matter how good they are only," he said.
He cited examples of students from underprivileged families who qualify for competitive courses like medicine and engineering but are forced to change paths because their parents cannot afford the required household contribution.
"We want to make sure that if a child qualifies to do engineering or medicine, funding does not deter them from achieving their goal," Ruto said.
The President has called on Parliament to urgently pass amendments to the Higher Education Loans Board Act so that the new funding model can be introduced for students joining institutions in September 2026.
He urged lawmakers to approve the proposed legal changes without delay so that no student misses out on their preferred course due to lack of money.
"I want to implore Parliament to expedite amendments to the Higher Education Loans Board so that beginning September we can make sure that any child who qualifies for medicine does not fail to study medicine because their parents cannot afford to pay the household contribution," he said.
The President linked the proposed reforms to Kenya's long-term economic ambitions, arguing that sustained investment in education is essential for building a globally competitive economy.
He credited successive administrations for expanding access to education, from the construction of schools under former President Daniel arap Moi to the introduction of free primary education under former President Mwai Kibaki and the rollout of 100 per cent transition to secondary school during former President Uhuru Kenyatta's administration. "Countries that are ahead of us had high-quality education.
Education was a central pillar," Ruto said, adding that his government had built on those gains by constructing 23,000 classrooms and recruiting more than 100,000 teachers.
The proposed system is expected to take effect in September 2026 once Parliament passes the required legislation.
If approved, it will mark a significant shift in Kenya's higher education financing policy, guaranteeing financial support for all students placed in public colleges and universities regardless of their socio-economic background.
However, the President did not provide details on how the system will work or the budget allocations for the plan, leaving Kenyans eagerly waiting for more information as Parliament prepares to debate the proposed amendments.
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