Principal Secretary for Higher Education and Research, Dr. Beatrice Inyangala, has praised Kenya’s refined higher education funding model as a transformative step that balances affordability, access, and shared responsibility.
Speaking during the University of Nairobi’s 73rd graduation ceremony on Friday, Inyangala said the new approach was born out of dialogue and co-creation, bringing together government, universities, students, and society to craft sustainable solutions.
“Interesting things are happening in the world. From Nairobi to New York, from Accra to Athens, workers are rising up, and their message is the same: we want better lives. In Kenya too, the winds of change are blowing through higher education. We have chosen not confrontation but reform, not stalemate but dialogue. The refined New Funding Model is a testament to this,” she said.
The PS commended the role of students in shaping the reforms, acknowledging those who participated in the 129-member committee that refined the model. “Your voices were not only heard, they shaped the very foundation of this reform,” she told the Class of 2025.
She highlighted the model’s impact, noting that no student today pays more than KSh 75,000 in tuition per year. In medicine, where learners previously paid KSh 612,000 annually, the burden has dropped to KSh 225,000, with the government bridging the gap through scholarships and loans.
Vulnerable students now pay nothing at all. So far, more than 310,000 students have secured placement across universities, TVETs, KMTC, and teacher training colleges under the new system.
“This is not just a policy; it is a promise,” she said, urging graduates to transform their families, honor their parents, and uphold the values of courage, integrity, and love for the country as they step into the future.
