Varsities seek Sh49bn for infrastructure
Education Principal Secretary Collette Suda takes part in the launching of Helb strategic plan 2019-2023 at Laico Regency, Nairobi, on February 20, 2019. She said universities require more funds. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- The Commission for University Education had planned to inspect 21 universities for quality assurance but managed to do only 12 audits.
- Collette Suda said reduced funding compromises the quality and relevance of university education as well as training and research.
Public universities are seeking Sh49 billion from the government to complete 89 current projects.
A report tabled before the National Assembly’s Education Committee by University Education Principal Secretary Collette Suda indicates that the estimated cost of the projects is Sh79.8 billon.
Prof Suda said Sh30 billion has so far been spent on the projects at all 32 public universities.
She wants the National Treasury to allocate Sh29.6 billion in the coming two years to support them.
AUDIT
Among the projects are an administration and tuition block at Technical University of Kenya (Sh166.9 million); an ultra-modern library at Egerton University (Sh200 million); a college of engineering tuition block at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (Sh189 million); and a tuition and administration block at Maseno University (Sh170 million).
On projects linked to the 'Big Four' agenda, the report indicates that the National Physical Science Research Laboratory, expected to cost Sh700 million, is 1.1 percent complete, while the Sh11.5 billion Kenya Advanced Institute of Science and Technology in Konza is 2.2 percent complete.
So far Sh250 million has been spent on consultants for the Konza project.
The report indicates that 520,750 university students were enrolled last year against an annual target of 475,750.
It adds that the Commission for University Education (CUE) had planned to inspect 21 universities for quality assurance but managed to do only 12 audits.
BUDGET
Prof Suda told the committee that the recurrent estimate of Sh89 billion fell to Sh87.1 billion. Further, supplementary 1 estimates reduced the approved allocation of Sh87.1 billion to Sh86 billion.
“Therefore, the cumulative reduction in budgetary resource requirement for the State department is Sh3.2 billion,” she said.
She said reduced funding compromises the quality and relevance of university education as well as training and research.
She asked the committee to consider increasing allocations to universities to cater for the growing number of Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education students qualifying for admission, and also to reinstate Sh3.2 billion slashed from the 2018/2019 budget.
