Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba faced tough questions from Members of the National Assembly Committee on Education over financial mismanagement and governance issues at public universities.
Lawmakers scrutinized the growing debt crisis at the University of Nairobi (UoN) and the Technical University of Kenya (TUK), which have accumulated pending bills of Sh13.58 billion and Sh12.99 billion, respectively.
During the heated session, MPs pressed CS Migos and Principal Secretary Beatrice Inyangala to explain the Ministry’s strategy to address the financial struggles facing universities.
Legislators raised concerns about unpaid bills, stalled projects, staff welfare, and prolonged leadership wrangles.
MP Rebecca Tonkei questioned how TUK had amassed such a huge debt.
“A pending bill of Sh12.99 billion doesn’t make sense. Where will the money come from to clear these debts?” she asked.
Leadership instability was also a key issue, with MPs pointing out that many senior university positions remain in an acting capacity for years.
MP Phylis Bartoo sought clarification on the current chair of UoN’s Council, while MP Abdul Haro questioned the revocation of a council appointment.
MP Clive Gisairo accused the ministry of allowing individuals to remain in office illegally. “The University of Nairobi has people in office unlawfully at the taxpayers’ expense. What action has the Ministry taken?” he asked.
The financial crisis at TUK was a major point of discussion, particularly the failure to remit statutory deductions. MP Nabii Nabwera noted that TUK had not remitted staff deductions for over 15 years.
“What is the role of the Commission for University Education (CUE) in ensuring compliance?” he asked.
CS Migos acknowledged that 23 public universities are technically insolvent due to chronic underfunding, particularly for government-sponsored students.
He outlined the Ministry’s 2025-2026 Transformation Strategy, which aims to stabilize university leadership, improve financial management, and enhance resource mobilization.
MP Mary Emaase raised concerns over Sh5 billion allegedly lost from TUK’s pension fund.
“We have reports that employees lost their pensions. We need to know how the Sh5 billion disappeared,” she stated.
TUK Vice-Chancellor Prof. Benedict Mutua recently revealed that university staff had not received their gross salaries since 2013.
Speaking before the Education Committee, he disclosed that pending bills had reached Sh12.99 billion.
“Since 2013, no staff member has received their full salary, meaning statutory deductions have not been remitted. In January and February 2025, we managed to pay net salaries, but not gross salaries,” he said.
Legislators also criticized the declining student enrollment at TUK, despite its prime location in Nairobi. The university currently has 12,701 students, but numbers have been falling. MP Jerusha Momanyi questioned why a well-situated institution with good infrastructure was losing students.
MP Clive Gisairo took issue with the university’s stalled construction projects. “Struggling universities always have unfinished projects. Why do you have three stalled projects when you are already in financial distress?” he asked.
In response, Prof. Mutua outlined strategies to address the crisis, including seeking conditional government grants, requesting tax waivers for unremitted deductions, and implementing staff rationalization to cut costs.
He also proposed a debt repayment plan extending to the 2031/2032 financial year, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.
However, Committee Chair Julius Melly dismissed calls for a government bailout without major reforms.
“A bailout is not feasible if the university does not take serious steps to reduce its wage bill and generate income. What concrete measures have you put in place?” he asked.
The committee is set to continue engagements with university administrators, unions, and regulatory bodies to seek lasting solutions to the crisis.
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