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Kenyatta University Main Campus entrance at Kahawa on 29 April, 2025.[Standard, Kanyiri Wahito]
President William Ruto’s recent declaration that the government will fully cover tuition fees for all students admitted to public universities, colleges, and TVETs is, on the surface, laudable.
Access to higher education remains out of reach for many Kenyan families, perpetuating social imbalances and reserving economic mobility for a privileged few. In light of these disparities, any genuine effort to address them deserves praise. However, most Kenyans view the latest pronouncement with scepticism.
This public mistrust can't be faulted. In the past four years, Dr Ruto has earned a notorious reputation for setting grand timelines that rarely materialise, earning him the informal sobriquet “in six months”, which is his standard timeframe for promising transformative projects that remain unfulfilled years later. To now announce universal, 100 per cent State-funded tertiary education without a clear plan raises a question: Is this a genuine policy commitment, or merely a convenient political manoeuvre intended to charm voters ahead of the landmark 2027 General Election?
