Public universities enrolled 28 per cent more government-sponsored students than planned in the year to June, piling pressure on already stretched infrastructure and academic staff.
The latest Controller of Budget (CoB) report shows that the government financed 198,567 government-sponsored students in public universities in the 2025/2026 financial year, against a target of 154,789.
This was an overshoot of 43,778 students, or 28.3 per cent above the target, highlighting the growing demand for university education and the challenge of matching enrolment with available resources.
Overall enrolment in public universities also exceeded the government’s projections. The State Department for Higher Education had projected 654,987 students but recorded 661,832 by June 30, 2026, surpassing the target by 6,845.
The rising numbers come as universities face mounting pressure to expand teaching facilities, laboratories, accommodation and other essential services while ensuring they have enough academic staff to meet students’ needs.
The strain is evident in several infrastructure projects that remain incomplete years after construction began.
At the Technical University of Kenya (TUK), a project to construct an administration and tuition block that began in 2015 and was scheduled for completion in June 2026 was only 34 per cent complete.
The Technical University of Kenya campus along along Haile Selassie Avenue in Nairobi.
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At Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), construction of the College of Engineering tuition block, which was due for completion in December 2025, had reached 58 per cent, with inadequate funding cited as a constraint.
Meanwhile, construction of an ultra-modern library at Maasai Mara University, which was expected to be completed in June 2026, stood at just eight per cent.
Staffing has emerged as another challenge, with universities increasingly turning to part-time lecturers to cope with growing student numbers. The trend has raised questions about the adequacy of staffing levels and the quality of teaching in higher education.
Data from the Commission for University Education (CUE) shows that the number of adjunct academic staff more than doubled, rising from 758 in 2024 to 1,611 in 2025.
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In recent months, public universities have advertised numerous vacancies for part-time lecturers, underscoring the growing reliance on temporary academic staff rather than permanent recruitment.
Commission for University Education (CUE) CEO Prof Mike Kuria.
The Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) has questioned how institutions experiencing increased enrolment are being allowed to operate with only a fraction of the academic staff they require.
The CoB report also warns that the education system will require substantial investment in infrastructure, equipment and human capital over the medium term as the new 2-6-3-3 education system is implemented.
At private universities, however, the government financed 47,211 sponsored students in the year to June 2026, falling short of the target of 48,430 by 1,219 students.
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The overshoot in public universities comes as the government continues to expand access to higher education. The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service placed 182,438 students in universities during the year, against a target of 173,322.
The rising intake is likely to intensify pressure on university facilities and personnel unless investment in infrastructure and staffing keeps pace with enrolment.
The government allocated substantial resources to higher education during the year. The State Department for Higher Education and Research had a revised budget of Sh161.41 billion and spent Sh161.23 billion, translating to an absorption rate of nearly 100 per cent.
The University Education programme alone had a revised allocation of Sh93.57 billion and expenditure of Sh93.47 billion.
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