By Andrew Wasike
NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) – Kenya has announced it will pay almost $7 million in university fees for 10,000 students to go to private colleges.
Making the announcement late on Tuesday, President Uhuru Kenyatta said the state will randomly select and sponsor students in a bid to provide better education while giving students unable to raise school fees a chance at realizing their dreams.
The government says approval of the sponsorship will see enrollment of state-sponsored students in universities shoot to 84,389 as Kenya’s Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service provides only 74,389 slots in public universities.
Speaking at State House in Nairobi, the Kenyan president told a meeting of Vice-Chancellors from Kenyan Universities the move “will provide a chance for more students to pursue courses of their choice, you must help us achieve the agenda of national unity. You are the people to set up that agenda.”
Education Minister Fred Matiang’i told the conference that his department will increase the number of state-sponsored students to 20,000.
“This is in line with law which requires taxpayer-funded students who miss placement at public universities be sponsored to join private universities,” the minister said.