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President William Ruto proposes full funding of tuition for all students accepted into universities, colleges, and TVET institutions within the country’s national placement process, starting from the September 2026 intake.
The proposal of free tuition is meant to replace the country’s Student-Centred Funding Model, which consists of scholarships, loans, and household contributions based on the needs of a family.
However, it is important to point out that it is still a proposal. The changes in legislation needed to implement it should be approved by parliament. If it goes ahead, Kenya’s decision will extend far beyond its own education system, feeding into a continent-wide debate over who should pay for university and what happens to those who simply cannot afford to.
The country’s Student-Centred Funding Model, introduced in 2023, was aimed at making government assistance fairer, evaluating each student individually, and providing scholarships, loans, and household contributions required to pay the tuition fee.
This proposal means a significant shift in the government’s philosophy of paying for students’ education, since it implies that every student will receive tuition help regardless of their financial background if they are admitted through the public placement system.
African governments are under pressure to conform in general. In 2025, Ghana introduced ‘No Fees Stress‘ policy, which covers the academic-related fees for the first-year students admitted to public universities, technical universities, colleges of education, and nursing training institutions. The main aim of the policy was to avoid the loss of students’ places in universities due to their inability to pay academic fees.
Namibia introduced free tuition in the sphere of public higher education in 2026. This is important for several reasons. Firstly, Africa has one of the world’s youngest populations, but its education system is comparatively inaccessible.
According to UNESCO, the gross enrolment ratio in tertiary education in sub-Saharan Africa is about 9%, whereas globally it is about 42%. It is a very significant difference, which is not only educational but economic. It implies that millions of young Africans do not have access to advanced skills, professional networks, research, and qualification needed for participating in the modern economy.
Secondly, at a time when African countries try to create jobs for their rapidly growing youth population, it may cost them more to restrict access to higher education because of households’ income.
Universities require lecturers, they require laboratories, libraries, internet connection, accommodation, research grants, and proper infrastructure. They need to ensure that they produce graduates who are equipped with the skills needed in the economies they join.
The problem in Africa is therefore not only to ensure that more young people attend universities, but also guaranteeing universities are funded properly to provide proper education to these people.
According to UNESCO, Africa currently accounts for less than 1% of all the research conducted in the world, yet the continent spends 0.78% of its GDP on research and development – against a 1.93% worldwide average.
