Implications of Alternative Higher Education Financing Policies on Equity and Quality: The Kenyan Experience

Abstract

Does Kenya have an effective higher education funding policy? If so, how does this relate to the objectives of equity and quality in the higher education system? The main objective of this chapter is to reflect on the implications of current higher education funding practices in Kenya for the attainment of social equity and quality of education in public universities. This chapter argues that, since their establishment, the funding of public universities has not been backed by any coherent policy. Instead, historical and political factors have defined the pattern of growth and funding in a manner that explains the current crisis of funding the institutions are facing. Since the establishment of the University College in Nairobi in 1963, which subsequently became an autonomous national university in 1970, the government of Kenya has had to demonstrate great commitment to the development of public university education because of its significance in the production of a skilled workforce. On its part, society has demonstrated a great appetite for higher education, especially university education. The subsequent establishment and growth of public universities in Kenya has been driven by national pride and domestic politics, which in turn have prioritised quantitative growth (in terms of number of institutions and students) over considerations of quality and equity. These historical and political contexts have not yielded room for deeper reflection on funding issues and the development of a coherent and long-term funding policy for public universities in the country.