Economy

Magoha makes U-turn on universities merger plan

magoha

Education Secretary George Magoha. FILE PHOTO | NMG

The State has made a U-turn on the planned merger of universities in the drive launched to close down institutions that are not sustainable.

Education Secretary George Magoha Thursday denied such plans when he appeared before the National Assembly Education Committee, adding that his ministry is pursuing comprehensive reforms.

The merger of universities and campuses as well as review of academic courses meant that some 27,000 staff including 9,000 lecturers were to lose jobs, drawing protests from unions.

“The merger issue is a creation of the media and a few people who brought it before you. It does not exist, it is only a figment of imagination of the media,” Prof Magoha told the committee.

On May 6, Prof Magoha informed participants at a conference on Kenya’s higher education of government plans for “existing universities and campuses to be consolidated for maximum utilisation.”

Suspended Treasury Secretary Henry Rotich while reading the Budget Statement announced radical measures that set the stage for universities merger and some of their satellite campuses shut across the country.

“We shall review all the university public financial and management systems, appraise ongoing projects with a view to restructuring them and implement radical measures that will include merger or closure of some universities and university campuses that are not able to sustain their operations against the number of students admitted or degree offered,” said Mr Rotich.

On Thursday, Prof Magoha told the committee chaired by Julius Meli (Tinderet) that he will continue with reforms at the higher universities aimed at eliminating “bogus” courses.

He said that the government want universities to specialise in academic programmes based on their strength rather than duplication. Since 2016, several campuses have been shut across the country after lower entry grade cut student population, hurting parallel degree programmes in which students paid fees at market rates.

They have been hit by the sharp drop in the number of Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education candidates scoring the C+ and above grade required for university entry, further worsening its cash flow.