Students stranded as Elimu Bora demands clarity on Ruto funding promise

Elimu Bora Working Group officials Boaz Waruku and David Karani at a media briefing in Nairobi. [Wilberforce Okwiri,Standard]

Thousands of students joining universities, colleges and TVET institutions this month are facing uncertainty over tuition, accommodation and upkeep despite a government promise to provide full financial support, the Elimu Bora Working Group has said.

The group wants the Government to immediately clarify how President William Ruto’s July 21 commitment on full government funding will be implemented, saying students have reported to institutions without clear information on what they are expected to pay.

Boaz Waruku, policy and strategy advisor at Elimu Bora working group said the announcement had created an expectation among students and parents that financial barriers would no longer prevent eligible learners from joining tertiary institutions.

“Students are now being confronted with uncertainty and are being directed back to existing application and funding processes,” he stated.

He confirmed that the situation had exposed gaps between policy announcements and the mechanisms required to implement them, with some students facing difficulties registering, securing accommodation and meeting other costs after reporting to their institutions.

The concerns come as the 2026/27 budget provides substantial resources for higher education, including KSh56.7 billion allocated to the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB). Parliament has also approved Sh30.9 billion for university scholarships and Sh9.2 billion for TVET student scholarships.

 Waruku, however, argues that existing allocations and the President’s commitment have not been sufficiently reconciled for students joining institutions in the September intake.

 The group said the Government must explain how the new promise of full funding relates to the existing student-centred financing model and what support students joining institutions this month should expect.

It also warned against an education financing system that relies heavily on loans, arguing that poor students could be pushed into debt to meet the cost of higher education.

 “A system that primarily makes loans available to students cannot automatically be described as full government funding,” he said.

 The organisation wants the proposed Tertiary Education, Placement and Funding Bill, 2026, to establish clear distinctions between grants, scholarships, bursaries and loans and set out the costs that should be covered under a full government funding arrangement.

 It is also calling for protection against students being denied registration or commencement of studies because funding has not been disbursed.

 The group said government agencies should  release approved funds within clearly defined timelines, preferably before students report to their institutions.

 It further wants students already enrolled in tertiary institutions to have continuity of funding until completion of their programmes, subject to clearly defined conditions.

 The call comes amid broader parliamentary discussions on higher education financing. Parliament has previously considered concerns over gaps in the existing funding model, including the financial support available to students in teacher training colleges.

 The group is also demanding that the proposed funding authority have a clear mandate to administer grants, scholarships, bursaries and loans and establish an independent appeals mechanism for students who are denied funding or receive inadequate or delayed support.

 David Karani, a member of the group said they want the Ministry of Education and tertiary institutions to issue one clear message to students in the September 2026 intake, including those who have already reported and those who remain at home because they cannot afford the initial costs of joining their institutions.

It has also called on Parliament to prioritise legislation required to operationalise universal full government funding while maintaining public participation and scrutiny.

He said the Government should publish a concrete implementation plan explaining how the July commitment will be translated into actual financial support for students.

 “The Government must now move beyond announcements and provide Kenyan students with a clear, credible and publicly verifiable implementation plan,” Karani said.

 The 2026/27 budget documents show that higher education support is being channeled through several funding streams, including HELB loans and university and TVET scholarships.

 The emerging dispute therefore centres not only on the amount allocated to higher education, but on whether the funding architecture can deliver the level of support students understood from the President’s July announcement.