Varsities job cuts, mergers in fresh funding changes

Grandaunts at Maseno University in 2018. Rotich sends strongest indication yet that government is keen to close some institutions of higher learning. [File, Standard]

Panic has hit staff and administrators of public universities after the National Treasury gave strong indications on higher education reforms, strengthening the recent firm resolve by Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha.

The implication of the announcement by Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich on university reforms means the number of these institutions will reduce tremendously, with some major colleges converted into campuses. Academic programmes in some of the universities will be taught out and some courses dropped as some are transferred to institutions with strong niche in the respective programmes.