Inside Ruto’s university gamble as full student support collides with debt crisis

President William Ruto is pledging full government support for university and college students, yet this promise clashes with the reality of public universities grappling with nearly Ksh100 billion in pending bills. The President's announcement in July 2026 positions full funding as a new direction for higher education financing, but the financial strain on institutions is already severe.

Pending bills across public universities reached Ksh98.06 billion as of December 31, 2025, with Egerton University leading at Ksh25.5 billion, followed by the University of Nairobi at Ksh17 billion, and Kenyatta University at Ksh12.8 billion. Moi University, already burdened with Ksh9 billion in pending bills since 2014, has requested additional Ksh1.9 billion for the 2026/27 financial year, facing potential redundancies for over 75 academic staff.

The challenge is not whether Ruto caused this debt, but whether his government can find a sustainable way to finance public universities after inheriting billions in financial obligations. Ruto's 2023 Student-Centred Funding Model aimed to change the financing system to protect poorer students, but the debt crisis persists, suggesting the new model alone has not solved the financial problems.

The universal funding system faces criticism for its potential cost, with educationist Davies Okombo estimating Kenya would need Ksh133 billion for universal university and college education. Despite the challenge, a politically supportive approach to higher education could remove a significant barrier to access.