This archive report was first published on 17 August 2021.
Kenyan universities are facing financial challenges, with Moi University being the latest to announce plans to shut down some of its satellite campuses. The move is aimed at reducing costs and improving education standards.
Speaking during the university's graduation ceremony, Vice-Chancellor Prof Isaac Kosgei revealed that the institution is implementing reforms to ensure financial stability. The reforms include scaling down some campuses and harmonizing programs offered by the university.
According to Kosgei, the university has set in motion a number of reforms to put it back on a healthy financial footing. 'We have set in motion a number of reforms to put the university back to a good, healthy financial position,' he reiterated.
Moi University's wage bill of Ksh4.69 billion is the third largest among Kenyan universities, after Kenyatta University at Ksh5.6 billion and the University of Nairobi at Ksh8.7 billion. The large bill is attributed to the institution's large workforce, consisting of both teaching and non-teaching staff.
As part of its cost-cutting measures, Moi University has already handed over its Odera Akang'o campus in Yala, Siaya County, to Maseno University in July 2021. In 2016, the university closed its Kericho and Nakuru campuses in response to a government directive on education standards in tertiary institutions.
University Council Chair Humphrey Njuguna disclosed that the institution is financially strained after missing out on a total of Ksh15 billion from the Treasury. He stated that the university is engaged in resource mobilization and other income-generating activities, including apple farming. The university plans to generate Ksh40 billion from the project in the next four years.
Other Kenyan universities are also facing financial challenges. In July, the University of Nairobi announced restructuring plans, which include the merging of campuses and the abolishment of five deputy vice-chancellor offices. Auditor General Nancy Gathungu raised concern over a Ksh1.3 billion debt accrued by Kenyatta University, which forced it to depend on short-term financial loans.
