House Committee Meets Sponsors of 3 Bills Seeking to Amend the Universities ACT
The National Assembly Committee on Education has considered three Bills that propose several amendments to the Universities Act which seek to amend appointment procedure for Chancellors , the role of Universities and Colleges Central Placement Services (KUCCPS) and placement of students.
Chaired by Hon Julius Melly, Committee Members engaged with sponsors Hon.Wamami Wamboka, Hon. Christopher Aseka Wangaya and Hon Owen Baya.
Appearing before the Committee, Hon. Christopher Aseka Wangaya presented amendments to the Universities (Amendment) Bill 2023 (National Assembly Bill No. 64) which seeks to prohibit the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Services (KUCCPS) from placing government -sponsored students in private universities, and to bar the government from financially sponsoring students in these institutions.
“The goal of private entities is to maximize profit. Allocating public funds to private universities negates the principles of transparency and accountability enshrined in the Public Finance Management Act, 2012,” Hon. Wangaya stated.
Hon. Owen Baya, defended his Universities (Amendment) Bill No. 16 of 2024, which seeks to streamline the process of appointing chancellors of public universities.
Lawmakers noted that the current process appointing of chancellors of public universities is lengthy.
Hon. Baya explained, “We have 26 universities without chancellors due to delays in the appointment process. This amendment aims to correct that by removing unnecessary procedures in the law.”
He added, “We need a clear, efficient system that ensures the most qualified candidates are selected without the delays we currently experience.”
The Committee also reviewed Universities (Amendment) Bill No. 38 of 2023, sponsored by Hon. Hon. Jack Wanami Wamboka, MP Bumula Constituency , which seeks to limit government-sponsored students to public universities and remove private university representation on the KUCCPS board.
Hon. Wamboka argued that public universities have sufficient capacity to accommodate all students and that allocating public funds to private universities undermines transparency and accountability.
“As the Chairperson of the Public Investments Committee on Education and Governance we have audited several Universities and state corporations in the education sector and have noted that public funds allocated to governmnet sponsored students on private universities can not be audited or accounted for. This Bill seeks to remove that gap by limiting new governmnet sponsored students to into private universties,” remarked Hon. Wamboka while addressing the Committee.
Committee Members noted that the amendment effectively removes individuals whose roles become redundant due to the exclusion of private universities from government funding. This will reduce the board’s wage bill and better align its functions with the new focus on placing government-sponsored students in public universities.
“The government is the main regulator of education, and private universities should not have a say in the management of public funds,” said Hon. Malulu Ijendi, Committee Vice Chair.
On her part, Hon. Phyllis Bartoo added that the role of KUCCPS should expand beyond placement. “KUCCPS should also maintain a database of international students to help guide educational planning and policy,” she pointed out.
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