This archive report was first published on 10 July 2019.
On July 10, 2019, the Commission for University Education (CUE) issued a directive to public universities, demanding that they provide data on various aspects of their operations by Friday.
The data, which includes student population, lecturers' research, and academic qualifications, will be used to determine the viability of the universities and campuses, and ultimately their merger and closure.
Public universities in Kenya have a total of 27,000 staff, with 9,000 being lecturers. The regulator's key focus will be on the quality of degrees, student-lecturer ratio, and adequacy of teaching and learning facilities in universities.
According to CUE chief executive Mwenda Ntarangwi, the commission has already briefed the Cabinet Secretary for Education on the progress towards achieving this assignment.
The universities are also required to provide details on international students enrolled, PhD students and supervisors, graduation lists for the last five years, research outputs by academic staff for the last two academic years, and partnerships, among others.
The regulator is seeking to address concerns over the quality of degrees offered by public universities, particularly in the areas of Masters and PhDs. Several campuses have been shut down in recent years due to financial difficulties and declining student numbers.
University enrolment in Kenya decreased to 426,965 last year from 452,494 in 2016, a decline of 25,529. Some of the universities that have shut down campuses include Kisii, Laikipia, Moi, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, and others.
