Any attempt to increase University Fees will be met with brute force- Babu Owino.
Embakasi East member of parliament has sworn to lead a demonstration if the ministry of education withdraws Public university and college funding.
He stated that it is enough burden for students who are at the moment struggling to raise the stipulated fees even with the assistance of the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB).
He stated,”Any attempt to increase University Fees will be met with brute force that will be better imagined than experienced. I will personally lead demonstration to Statehouse should this nonsense persist.”
He further recalled that the Kenya kwanza manifesto promised free tertiary education during the campaigns.
He said,”I remember you said very well that university fees will be free. And you said HELB will be a grant. What has happened all of a sudden?”
The uproar comes after the education cabinet secretary, Ezekiel Machogu stated that university should now source for their own funding.
He stated,”I’m going to move around each and every university in Kenya because a number is faced with financial problems and we are encouraging that they must generate their own income because the exchequer as it is now not going to continue funding more.”
However, CS Machogu has stated that he was misquoted.
Nobody ever said that university funding will be done away with. Government is supporting universities and will continue to support them through capitation. If there are other ways to increase revenue, why not?”
He added that the government has already allocated a capitation of Sh50 billion for tertiary Education and Sh15.8 billion to the Higher Education Loans Board.
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