In a bid to improve the state of public universities in Kenya, the Ministry of Education has revealed plans to shut down unnecessary satellite public institutions.
According to Beatrice Inyangala, the Principal Secretary of Higher Education and Research, the plan aims to streamline the sector and address funding challenges faced by students seeking university admission.
Satellite institutions refer to campuses of a university or college located far from the main university.
Several universities in Kenya have such institutions, including the University of Nairobi, Kenyatta University, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), Moi University, and Egerton University.
However, Inyangala did not disclose the specific satellite campuses targeted in the proposed plan to improve higher learning institutions.
The Public Investments Committee on Education and Governance responded to Inyangala’s proposal, criticizing the strategy and arguing that it exposed inconsistencies in the ministry.
The committee stated that the proposal was misinformed since it was still admitting students to private institutions of higher learning through the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS).
