A Ksh.16 billion funding deficit is threatening to widen the gap in financial support for university students in the 2026/2027 financial year, with the Universities Fund warning that current allocations fall short of the amount required to meet scholarship needs.
The fund estimates that scholarships will require Ksh.47 billion in the current financial year, against an allocation of Ksh.30.1 billion, highlighting the growing pressure on resources meant to support students pursuing higher education.
However, Acting Chief Executive Officer Dr Edwin Wanyonyi says improving how existing funds are distributed could help more students access financial assistance, even as stakeholders seek ways to address the funding gap.
Speaking during a meeting with scholarship and bursary providers in Nairobi on Wednesday, October 28, Wanyonyi called for stronger coordination among organisations supporting university students, noting that some beneficiaries receive funding from several sources while others receive little or no assistance.
“Our biggest challenge isn’t mobilizing resources; it is creating impact with the resources we already have,” Wanyonyi said. “There are students who are overfunded, and yet we have students who are underfunded and others not funded at all.”
He challenged government agencies, corporate foundations, non-governmental organisations and private sponsors to work together to ensure financial support reaches students with the greatest need.
“Some of the students we are funding are also being funded by your organisations. How do we collaborate?” he asked.
The meeting, organised by the Universities Fund under the theme Reaching More Students, Together, brought together scholarship providers and other stakeholders to explore ways of coordinating funding, identifying underserved learners and reducing duplication in financial assistance.
The discussions focused on how better collaboration among funding institutions could improve the use of available resources and expand access to university education for students who might otherwise struggle to meet the cost of their studies.
