Education Ministry Warns of Funding Crisis as Universities and TVETs Seek Billions

Kenya, May 15, 2026 - Departments overseeing tertiary institutions at the Ministry of Education have requested additional funding from Parliament, warning that failure to do so would expose institutions and students across the country to a financial crisis.

 Speaking before the National Assembly Education Committee,  the  State Department of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sought an additional Ksh19.2 billion to finance scholarships for TVET students.

 The State Department’s PS Esther Muoria said that if no additional funding is approved, these institutions risk being stifled by the pending bill, which will increase student drop-outs and expose the government to legal disputes arising from unpaid obligations to suppliers.

 The PS has further requested another Ksh589 million to support the establishment and upgrading of equipment in TVET workshops across 69 institutions in the country.

 The investment will be pivotal in ensuring that learners have access to modernised training facilities and up-to-date industry-relevant equipment, according to the PS.

The  Education Committee reviewed budget estimates for the State Departments of TVET, Science, Research and Innovation, and Higher Education on Friday.

“According to their document, the State Department also requires KES 589 million to support the establishment and upgrading of equipment in TVET workshops as GoK counterpart funding,” a statement from Parliament read.

“The establishment and upgrading of TVET workshops across 69 institutions will ensure that TVETs have state-of-the-art equipment,” Muoria told lawmakers.

 On the other hand, State Department for Science, Research and Innovation, Principal Secretary, Shaukat Abdulrazak, revealed that despite the department being allocated Sh1.312 billion in the Budget Policy Statement (BPS), the funds were instead reallocated to another vote.

 The move, which the PS described as a breach of established budget processes, exposed the department to underfunding, thus leaving no development funding for the department.

Meanwhile, the State Department for Higher Education highlighted a significant funding gap in the 2026/27 financial year.

The Department’s Principal Secretary, Beatrice Inyangala, revealed that despite requesting Sh311.9 billion for recurrent expenditure and Sh11.4 billion for development, the proposed allocations stand at Sh155.2 billion and Sh8.9 billion respectively, leaving a recurrent funding gap of more than 50 percent.

The Department oversees 43 universities and key agencies, including the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) and the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS).

“The department said the allocations will support implementation of the new higher education funding model, university scholarships, HELB loans, as well as research and innovation programmes,” Parliament stated.

 On their part, the lawmakers assured that the committee will follow up on the developments to ensure that the grievances of the departments are addressed.