- Radical reforms loom in the universities as the government moves to categorize the institutions of higher learning and have them review their courses every six years.
- In the draft Universities Bill, 2024, the government is pushing to tighten the accreditation procures of courses and institutions in an apparent bid to reign in on rogue Universities.
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Radical reforms loom in the universities as the government moves to categorize the institutions of higher learning and have them review their courses every six years.
In the draft Universities Bill, 2024, the government is pushing to tighten the accreditation procures of courses and institutions in an apparent bid to reign in on rogue Universities.
The bill has been drafted by the Ministry of Education.
It is currently undergoing public participation by the Ministry before they are sent to Parliament for processing.
In the bill, the universities have been classified into six, ending the current arrangement where the institutions offer a cocktail of programmes.
In the new changes, the institutions have been classified into; research universities, science and technology universities, comprehensive universities and technical universities.
Others are specialized and graduate universities.
“A category of a university described shall not be converted to or offer a programme offered by a university in a different category without accreditation,” the bill states.
The bill states that a person or entity or an institution seeking accreditation of a programme shall apply to the Commission for University Education, and pay necessary fees as may be prescribed.
Every academic programme accredited by the Commission, shall subsist for six years, the proposed law states.
“Every university intending to continue offering an accredited academic programme, shall at least six months to the expiry of the validity period, cause a review of the programme to determine its relevance and the capacity of the university to continue offering the programme,” it reads.
It states that a university shall submit its reviewed programme to the Commission for re-accreditation to pave the way for the Cabinet Secretary to prescribe regulations to facilitate the implementation of this section.
In a bid to end the proliferation of ‘fake’ universities, the bill states that a person shall only offer university education in Kenya, upon accreditation by the Commission.
The bill states that a chartered public university seeking to establish a constituent college, a person or entity intending to sponsor a university or a body corporate having as one of its objects the provision of university education are eligible to apply to offer university education.
An existing institution seeking to convert itself into a university is also eligible to apply.
“A university in Kenya shall be accredited by an instrument of authority in the form of a Letter of Interim Authority or Legal order or Charter, under this Act,” the bill states.
Operating a university without a license from the committee will attract hefty fines.
“Any person who purports to offer university education without accreditation under this Act commits an offence and shall be liable upon conviction, to a fine of not less than Sh10 million, or imprisonment for a term of not less than three years, or to both,” it states.
According to the bill, a proposed academic programme shall comprise a learning content, purpose and objectives, structure, delivery mode, mode of assessment and learning environment of a university.
Others are learning facilities of a university, admission criteria and credit transfers for academic programmes, co-curricular activities offered by a university; and compliance with the National Qualifications Framework.