When President
William Ruto presided over the 120th anniversary celebrations of Maseno School,
he assured Kenyans the education sector was not in crisis.
He pointed to
several policy and implementation interventions introduced by his
administration as evidence of a government committed to reforming education and
improving learning outcomes.
Yet beyond the optimism of official speeches and
policy pronouncements lies a painful reality: Kenya’s education sector is in
deep crisis. This crisis is not solely the making of the current
administration.
It is the product of decades of policy inconsistency, chronic
underfunding, weak governance, political interference and reforms implemented
without adequate institutional preparedness.
Successive
governments expanded access to education without matching that expansion with
sufficient investment in infrastructure, staffing, research and institutional
sustainability.
The introduction of free primary and subsidised secondary
education dramatically increased enrolment but exposed systemic weaknesses that
were never fully addressed.
Universities multiplied rapidly across the country,
often driven more by political symbolism and regional balancing than by
strategic national planning. The result has been overstretched institutions,
declining quality, mounting debts and graduates entering a shrinking and highly
competitive labour market.
However, while the
Kenya Kwanza administration inherited a fragile sector, some of its reforms
have intensified rather than resolved the existing challenges.
The new
university funding model is a prime example. Introduced as a fair and
needs-based financing mechanism, the model has instead generated confusion,
anxiety and operational
uncertainty.
Students and parents
remain unsure about scholarships, loans and fee obligations, while universities
themselves cannot predict revenue streams with certainty. A financing model
that was intended to create equity has instead produced instability and
mistrust.
Public universities
today are in severe distress. Many institutions struggle to pay salaries, remit
statutory deductions, maintain infrastructure, or support research and
innovation. Delayed salaries and unimplemented collective bargaining agreements
have triggered recurring tensions between university staff and management.
Yet one of the most
overlooked dimensions of the university crisis lies in governance —particularly
the composition and conduct of university councils. The President, through the
Cabinet Secretary for Education, continues to appoint council members who are
often out of their depth with the running and management of universities.
Many
lack the academic, governance, financial, or institutional experience necessary
to oversee complex higher education institutions. Instead of providing
strategic oversight and safeguarding institutional integrity, some councils
have become centres of interference, micromanagement, and political patronage.
This environment
creates instability in institutional leadership. Vice-chancellors spend more time navigating
council politics and defending themselves from interference than providing
academic and strategic leadership.
Decisions on recruitment, procurement,
promotions and institutional priorities become vulnerable to political pressure
and personal interests. Ultimately, students, lecturers, researchers and the
broader public bear the cost of this governance dysfunction.
A serious review of
university councils is therefore urgently needed. Kenya must rethink the
qualifications, appointment procedures, composition and rules of engagement
governing university councils.
Membership should be based on demonstrable
expertise in higher education, finance, law, research, governance, public
administration, or industry leadership. Council positions should never become
rewards for political loyalty or retirement packages for politically connected
individuals.
The crisis extends
beyond universities. The implementation of the competency-based education has
exposed serious gaps in planning and resource allocation. While CBE’s
philosophy is progressive, its implementation has been rushed and uneven.
Schools lack adequate classrooms, workshops, laboratories and trained teachers.
Parents continue to shoulder hidden costs despite promises of affordability.
Similarly, the digital learning agenda remains disconnected from the realities
of many rural schools that still lack electricity, internet access, and basic
infrastructure.
At the centre of
the education crisis is the absence of predictable and sustainable financing.
Education institutions have monthly obligations — salaries, electricity, water,
internet services, examinations, maintenance and statutory remittances — yet
government disbursements remain irregular and haphazard.
University managers,
principals and school heads operate in perpetual uncertainty, unable to plan
effectively because funding arrives late, inconsistently, or below budgetary
expectations.
Kenya’s chaotic and
unpredictable education financing system has entrenched a culture of crisis
management across learning institutions, particularly public universities.
Universities are increasingly unable to meet basic obligations such as paying
salaries, supporting research, maintaining infrastructure and sustaining academic
programmes because government disbursements are irregular and unreliable.
Consequently, educational leadership has been reduced to constant firefighting
instead of focusing on innovation, planning, and quality improvement.
To reverse this
decline, Kenya requires a comprehensive reset of the education sector.
Educational reforms must be guided by long-term national consensus rather than
shifting political interests.
The university funding model should be reviewed
transparently and inclusively to restore trust and sustainability. Public
universities also need governance reforms that emphasise professionalism,
competence, accountability and institutional autonomy, while improving the
welfare of lecturers through timely remuneration and research support.
Most importantly,
the government must adopt a structured and legally enforceable funding
disbursement framework to ensure predictability, stability, and effective
institutional planning.
Mr President,
acknowledging that the education sector is in crisis is not an admission of
failure. It is the beginning of honest reform.