The national government owes private universities about Sh50 billion accrued over the last nine years, Kenya Association of Private Universities has said.
Kapu national chairperson Reverend Prof Stephen Mbugua, the Vice Chancellor of Catholic University of Eastern Africa, said the monies are from unpaid disbursement for students, most of whom have since graduated.
He said at least 34 universities have not been paid the monies since the 2015-2016 financial year, which translates to an excess of Sh1.5 billion on average for each institution.
“This has affected operations in private universities. We respectively urge the government to expedite the settlement of the Sh50 billion, pending bills owed to Kenya Association of Private Universities,” Mbugua said.
He was speaking to the press in Mombasa on the sidelines of the ongoing four-day meeting of Kapu national officials.
Kapu Treasurer Prof Washington Okeyo, who is also the Vice Chancellor of the Management University of Africa, said they have faced a myriad of challenges due to that huge pending bill.
He said private universities did not turn aways students placed in this institution by the national government due to lack of funding.
She said the Sh50 billion is what was supposed to go towards facilitating the students who were placed by the government.
“However, the government has not been remitting that money.”
He said private institutions have been looking for resources from alternative income generating activities, loans from banks and students who support their own education.
Most universities have failed to expand their infrastructure development.
“This is coming because some of our private universities are owed in excess of Sh2 billion out of this Sh50 billion. This is alot of money, which if the government was to release, is enough to support the university initiatives for the next maybe two or three years in terms of infrastructure development,” he said.