Former Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Faith Odhiambo has questioned the government’s plan to introduce free university education.
She has called for transparency on how the programme will be financed and implemented.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, July 22, Odhiambo said while universal access to higher education is a goal worth pursuing, Kenyans deserve clear answers on the financial implications before the policy is rolled out.
“The promise that university will now be free for all sounds like progress, but when it comes months to an election, after years of complaints about a broken funding model, Kenyans are entitled to ask, is this policy or politics?” the statement read.
This comes a day after President William Ruto announced that all students who qualify for admission to universities and colleges would receive full government funding beginning with the September 2026 intake, subject to Parliament passing the necessary legislation.
The Head of State said that every student who passes national examinations and secures placement in a university or college would receive full government support regardless of their financial background.
Additionally, he said that the new funding model would replace the current Variable Scholarship and Loan Funding Model, which allocates financial support based on students’ levels of need.
However, the former LSK President questioned how the government would sustain universal funding when public universities have for years faced financial challenges, and students have struggled to access adequate loans and scholarships.
She argued that if the existing model had proved difficult to finance, the government should first provide a cost-implementation framework and explain how the programme would be funded without affecting other essential public services.
Odhiambo further called for transparent financial projections to be tabled before Parliament and urged the government to enact a credible legal framework to guide the proposed reforms.
