Former Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Faith Odhiambo has challenged the government's plan to fully finance university education for all students placed through the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS), saying the proposal should be supported by a clear funding strategy and legal framework before it is rolled out.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Odhiambo said although expanding access to higher education is a worthy goal, the announcement comes at a time when many Kenyans are questioning the future of university financing. She argued that unveiling such a major policy only months before the 2027 General Election invites scrutiny over whether it is a long-term reform or a political pledge.
"The promise that university will now be free for all sounds like progress but when it comes months to an election, after years of complaints about a broken funding model, Kenyans are entitled to ask, is this policy or politics?" she posed.
Odhiambo said Kenya's higher education system has for years struggled with financial challenges, leaving universities operating under heavy budget constraints while many students have found it difficult to access loans and scholarships.
"For years, universities have been running on deficits, students have been locked out or saddled with loans, and the new student-centred funding model has left families choosing courses they can afford rather than those they qualify for," the advocate said.
She further argued that public universities are already facing serious financial strain, claiming that many institutions are struggling to remain financially stable while the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) is unable to support most first-year students under the current budget.
"Half of public universities are already potentially insolvent, and HELB can fund barely a fifth of first-years under current allocations."
Odhiambo questioned how the government intends to finance universal university education without affecting other essential public services.
"If the State could not sustainably fund the existing model, how does it suddenly find resources to fully fund every KUCCPS-placed student without a clear legal framework, costed plan and honest conversation about trade-offs in health, housing and other services?" she asked.
She maintained that such a major policy shift should first be subjected to parliamentary scrutiny and supported by a clear legal framework before implementation.
"We demand transparent costings tabled in Parliament, a credible financing law, and guarantees that any move towards universal higher-education funding will not collapse already struggling institutions or deepen inequality between those in public and private universities," she said.
While backing efforts to make university education more accessible, Odhiambo insisted that reforms should be transparent, sustainable and designed with the interests of citizens in mind rather than political considerations.
"Free, quality university education is a legitimate aspiration but it must be built openly, sustainably and with citizens at the centre, not announced from a rally podium as a political surprise. Kenyans deserve more than applause lines, they deserve a plan," she said.
Her remarks come a day after President William Ruto announced that all students admitted to public universities and colleges through KUCCPS from the September 2026 intake will receive full government funding.
Speaking during the presentation of the New National Vision: Journey to a First World Economy proposal at State House in Nairobi, the President said the government had reviewed previous university funding models after concluding that they had failed to adequately support students and institutions.
He said the new arrangement is intended to ensure that no qualified student misses an opportunity to pursue higher education because of financial difficulties.
"Going forward, any university student, so long as they have passed their exam and they have been placed in a college or a university, each one of them will get full funding for their higher education," Ruto said.
Under the proposed model, parents will no longer be required to contribute towards tuition unless they choose to do so.
The President also called on Parliament to fast-track amendments to the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) Act to pave the way for implementation of the new funding model, which is expected to replace the current student-centred funding system.