President Uhuru Kenyatta has frozen the establishment of new universities for the government to focus on strengthening existing institutions.
Uhuru said more technical and vocational training will be provided and
resilience and ensuring sustained quality built.
"These institutions have to be globally competitive in their operations and service delivery. Quantity at the expense of quality has potential to harm our country," he said.
He issued the directive after awarding charters to eight new universities at at State House in Nairobi on Friday.
The universities include
KAG East (Kajiado), Rongo (Migori), Cooperative university of Kenya (Nairobi) and Taita Taveta.
Others are
Murang’a university of Technology, University of Embu, Machakos and Kirinyaga universities.
Garissa University was also to receive a charter but Uhuru said he would personally go to the institution to deliver the certification.
Garissa University College was attacked by al Shabaab terrorists and 147 people, mostly students, killed on April 2, 2015.
It was reopened nine months later.
Uhuru said he will visit to send a loud message that Kenya will never succumb to threats of terrorism.
The President said the government will also focus on developing job skills needed for Kenya to meet the objectives of Vision 2030.
"We are determined to deliver on vocational training, through our Technical and Vocational Training Institutions (TVETS) and other programmes, to grow our country in terms of Vision 2030," he said.
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Uhuru called on the new universities to create links with the private sector in order for them to succeed in making students globally competitive.
He said this will allow the private sector to tap into the knowledge and innovation available at institutions of higher learning.
He noted the links will also enable universities to access and benefit from the expertise of the private sector.
The President challenged new universities to step up to the challenge of meeting the expectations Kenyans have of them.
"Our standards of research, teaching, and management must be exceptional. If you let your standards fall, you will have failed your students and your country," he said.
Uhuru asked those in charge of new universities to guard against tribalism and to uphold national values.
"Our universities have a special role to play in nation building: they challenge our parochial concerns, expose us to Kenyans of different origins and experiences; and teach us the value of our nationhood," he said. "They cannot do that if they are held back by nepotism and tribalism."
The President also witnessed the installation of chancellors of the new universities as part of the elaborate ceremony of the award of charters.
The chancellors included Fred Ojiambo (Kirinyaga), Joseph Nyaga (Cooperative), Mohamed Elmi (Rongo) and Sally Kosgei (Taita Taveta).
Others were James Mworia (Machakos), Musili Wambua (Embu), Philista Onyango and Peter Njiiri (KAG East).
Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i said the government has shown commitment to supporting the education sector.
Matiang’i
said Kenya has the distinction of making one of the biggest investments in education in sub-Saharan Africa.
He said he was committed to ensuring the massive public resources allocated to the education sector are not wasted.
Commission for University Education chairman Chacha Nyaigoti and the secretary David Kimutai also spoke at the ceremony.
