Nairobi, Kenya — Thousands of first-year university students across Kenya are staring at uncertainty as the government’s promised tuition fee cuts are yet to take effect in most institutions.
The Ministry of Education announced in July that fees would drop by between 15 and 40 percent, a move that was hailed as a relief for struggling families. But with new admissions underway, many universities have yet to update their systems, leaving parents and students unsure of what to pay.
Education Cabinet Secretary Migos Ogamba admitted that the process had hit delays. “On Friday the data got ready. This is the time universities are now feeding that data, and in a number of institutions, the process has not been completed. That is where we are having confusion,” he told reporters in Nairobi.
For families like that of 20-year-old Collins Barare from Kisii County, the wait has been agonising. Admitted to Tom Mboya University for a Bachelor of Education degree, Collins still does not know how much he owes.
“I applied for HELB and a scholarship and was told my applications were successful, but I don’t know how much I’ve been allocated. Even the bands are not clear. Right now, I don’t know if I will be able to join,” he said.
His mother, Naomi Kwamboka, broke down as she explained her struggle. “We don’t know how much we are supposed to pay, and even if we did, I don’t have the money. I already sent my other child to Nairobi to work as a maid so she can help pay school fees.”
The confusion is not limited to first-years. At Kisii University, continuing students reported mixed experiences. “Personally, I haven’t seen any changes in my portal, but I’m hopeful,” said student Dickson Odhiambo. Another student, Kennedy Owino, said, “My fees have been reduced and it’s a big relief. We’ve started to see the benefits.”
In Nyeri, Dedan Kimathi University of Technology has told students that updates will only be issued once the government confirms each learner’s allocation.
Despite mounting frustration, CS Ogamba insisted that no one would be locked out of education. He assured families that the new funding model was “student-centred” and would be corrected if errors arose. “Where there is an error or incorrect information, there will be room for appeal so that fees can be reviewed,” he said.
For now, thousands of hopeful learners remain in limbo—caught between government promises and the reality on their university portals.
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