Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has warned of looming mass layoffs at some universities and the closure of select campuses across the country due to a cash crunch.
Appearing before the National Assembly's Committee on Education on Thursday, July 24, Mbadi also revealed the government's plan to outsource services in cash-strapped institutions.
According to him, an overhaul of some of the services within universities was one among several strategies proposed to salvage the future of the once-prestigious institutions.
Mbadi also stated that the government was no longer able to meet the needs of state-sponsored university students, with the education of most students in universities now hanging in the balance President William Ruto addressing the National Defence University-Kenya on November 22, 2024 PCS He revealed that the Ministry of Education, jointly with the universities and the National Treasury, had commenced the development of a new strategy to ensure financial sustainability within institutions of higher learning. "The Ministry of Education, in collaboration with universities, is expected to develop a comprehensive reform strategy that will ensure financial sustainability," said Mbadi. "These strategies include reducing unnecessary administrative costs, resizing staff, outsourcing services, and rationalising satellite campuses," he added.
