Category: News

By Tracy kavai, nyaberakavai@gmail.com

Thousands of students hoping to start university in September for their higher education are currently facing uncertainty due to the ongoing confusion surrounding the new university funding model.

Chief justice Martha Koome, one of the high -ranking government official, has expressed concerns about the fairness of the new model, fearing that it will widen inequality within higher education institutions and has called for a comprehensive review of the entire structure.

The Ministry of Education utilized the Means Testing Instrument (MTI) to assess the financial support each student is eligible for based on self-reported family background information, including monthly income. However, the disparity and perceived unfairness resulting from the categorization system may prevent financially needy students from accessing higher education. Koome highlighted the distress of students who, despite qualifying for university, find themselves unable to afford it due to being placed in a higher band than they should be.

The Chief Justice suggested that consolidating all bursaries into a single fund to finance education for all could effectively manage education funding.

The New Higher Education Funding Model, introduced by President William Ruto on May 3, 2023, aims to tackle the challenges faced by public universities and Technical and Vocational Education (TVET) institutions resulting from a surge in enrollment and insufficient funding. This new funding framework replaces the previously used Differentiated Unit Cost (DUC) for university financing. The model prioritizes a student’s financial need and separates placement from funding. Under this model, universities and TVET institutions will no longer receive block funding in the form of capitation. Instead, students will be supported through scholarships, loans, and household contributions. Consequently, students will have access to scholarships and loans to finance their higher education.

The Universities Fund will provide scholarships to students, ranging from 30% to 70% based on their level of need. Any remaining funding gap will be covered through household contributions and loans.

Nearly 10,000 distressed students have on Friday 2rd August registered appeals through the Higher Education Fund (HEF) portal, challenging the new university funding model.

Geoffrey Monari, Chief Executive Officer of the Universities Fund, disclosed that the review process is already underway, with students expected to receive updates on the status of their appeals within three weeks of their application date.

“We have received over 10,000 appeals, and this process is ongoing. Our goal is to identify where these needy students are so we can place them in the appropriate funding band,” Monari stated. “Once the appeals are processed, we will notify universities to review the household fees for these students. This information will also be updated on the HEF portal, and students will receive an SMS alert to inform them,” he added.

The government has processed 127,591 student loan applications and categorized them into five bands under the new, controversial Higher Education Funding model. Monari also revealed that Ksh.5.2 billion has been released to the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) for tuition and upkeep loans, with Ksh.2.8 billion allocated to the Universities Fund for scholarships.

“This money will be disbursed to students next week, with the process already underway. We will prioritize the release of loans to address students’ daily needs,” Monari assured, adding that scholarship funds would be released to universities a week later.

The new model places students to funding bands based on their financial needs, ranging from band one to band five, depending on their family’s economic status.

In a statement on Friday, Education CS Julius Ogamba emphasized that the ministry is working diligently to disburse the necessary funds to students by August 30, 2024. He also announced that the deadline for applying for funding has been extended from August 15, 2024, to December 31, 2024.

The CS urged students to provide accurate information when filling out applications to ensure proper placement in the funding categories.

By Tracy Kavai

Nairobi Chief Environment Officer Geoffrey Moisria on Thursday night revealed that city residents now risk arrest for spitting saliva, chewing gum and littering.

The County official, while addressing questions from the media, stated that Nairobi residents have become notorious in littering the city and are not aware that there exist bylaws governing the maintenance of hygiene levels.

He also explained that the county government will implement the directive by strategically positioning county askaris to ensure its enforcement.

“We will put our officers on every corner and on every street of Nairobi to ensure no one urinates, spits saliva or litters the city anyhow,” he stated.

The officer, who has been very strict with enforcement of the hygiene standards, revealed that an intense operation was in the works to ensure the directive works.

“We want to put all our bylaws into use. We cannot continue as if we don’t have any laws. It is you citizens who make laws through the choice of leaders to implement these laws.” the environment chief added.

According to Nairobi County Nuisance Act, it is an offense to deposit any type of material or waste on the streets. The law also stipulates that spitting on any footpath or blowing the nose aimlessly other than into any suitable cloth or tissue is an offense.

The offense of blowing your nose without a handkerchief or tissue risks fines Ksh10,000 or an imprisonment term of between 6 months and 12 months.

A Nairobi Court on Monday August 19 directed some 30 offenders who were caught urinating on the streets to clean the Nairobi Funeral Home, formerly, the City Mortuary.

The Chief Officer led the exercise where he thanked the magistrate for delivering the punishment saying that it stood to serve as an example to others with such behaviours.

Nairobi residents have therefore been urged to use handkerchiefs in case they intend to spit.

By Tracy kavai, nyaberakavai@gmail.com

On Friday, August 23, the Ministry of Health confirmed a second case of monkeypox infection following a laboratory test on a driver at the Malaba One Stop Border Post in Busia County.

According to Health Cabinet Secretary Debra Barasa, the driver had symptoms associated with the sickness and had previously travelled to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where the disease first emerged.

Barasa stated that the patient had already been separated and was being actively managed at one of the county’s health institutions.

The CS also indicated that the Ministry has increased its surveillance for suspected cases across all counties to guarantee that the disease’s spread was contained. She further stated that a total of 42 samples had already been submitted to government laboratories for testing, of which 40 of them tested positive for the disease.

“In addition, we have screened a total of 426,438 travellers at our various ports of entry across the country,” CS Barasa noted.

“Our health facilities are adequately staffed and well-equipped to diagnose and manage this disease and therefore its identification should not be a cause for alarm.”

The Ministry of Health has therefore directed Kenyans to remain vigilant and observe public health measures to ensure their safety and well-being.

Among the recommendations made by the ministry included regularly washing hands with soap and running water, or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

Kenyans were also urged to practice good hygiene and avoid close contact with individuals exhibiting Mpox-like symptoms.