Barrington Gesimba was overjoyed when he graduated with honours for a Bachelor of Science in Applied Computer Science from Daystar University on November 10, 2023. The ceremony was a watershed moment in his career and entry into the job market.
However, he has been unable to make any steps forward because he lacks the document he worked for four years to obtain. His degree certificate has been withheld, together with many others, over a debt owed to the university by the government until it is cleared.
Its difficult to apply for jobs. You can go through all the stages of an interview but when it gets to presenting your certificates, youve got nothing and people think youre hiding something. Its unfair on us, he told
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Up to now, I dont know the amount owed to the university for my sons education. I paid the Sh16,000 per year expected of me and for his food and accommodation. It wasnt my wish that he went to a private university and no one asked me. Now hes just in the house like someone who never went to school despite having completed his studies but with nothing to prove, Ms Jeniffer Bwari told .
The universities through the Kenya Association of Private Universities (Kapu) have now written to Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu demanding payment of Sh31.4 billion owed to them.
They further ask for an increase of the funds allocated to the students for 2024-2025.
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In the Budget Policy Statement, private universities have been allocated Sh1,774,791,604 for the financing of government-sponsored students. According to Kapu, this is translates to a differentiated unit cost (DUC) of 10.12 per cent.
The DUC is the total cost of individual educational programmes in universities. The government is meant to pay 80 per cent of the DUC while the student and the university meets the balance.
This model was stopped last year when a new funding model was introduced for the students joining university in September last year.
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Some students in private universities have been discontinued, for example, Uzima [University]. We are just trying to see if some funds can be released to assist these students to finish studies. I hope people will see the big picture. It is a request which is yet to be considered. Public universities also presented their pending bills requests, he told .
Under the funding model introduced last year, public and private universities are required to declare the cost of each of their programme and sign a memorandum of understanding with the government on the same. The costs are published on the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (Kuccps) to guide students as they make their applications.
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