The Weekly Vision has been told that with Azimio’s defeat in the last general elections, Mt. Kenya University may end up receiving the least number of government-sponsored students considering that its chairman Dr Simon Gacheru is not a darling to the William Ruto administration. It should be remembered that Dr Gacheru is a close friend of former President Uhuru Kenyatta and publicly campaigned for Raila Odinga in the last general elections
Mount Kenya University is once again on the radar over claims that it is the highest beneficiary of government-sponsored students since the programme was started in 2016. According to sources, the politically connected leadership of the university has been using its connections to successive governments to ensure they are allocated the highest number of students.
According to sources well-versed with the placement of students and the criteria used, cartels within the education sector have been making money every year during the placement period as they are compromised to allocate more slots than is within the law while those without deep pockets and connections are denied their rightful slots. It is also worth noting that it is because of Mt. Kenya’s deep pockets and powerful political connections that it has been benefiting more as compared to other private universities. Available data indicate that private universities have admitted 47,548 government-sponsored students and received Ksh. 12.146 billion since the State started sending students to the institutions in 2016.
The Weekly Vision has been told that with Azimio’s defeat in the last general elections, Mt. Kenya University may end up receiving the least number of government-sponsored students considering that its chairman Dr Simon Gacheru is not a darling to the William Ruto administration. It should be remembered that Dr Gacheru is a close friend of former President Uhuru Kenyatta and publicly campaigned for Raila Odinga in the last general elections.
On the allocation of slots, ever since the introduction of the program by the government in 2016, Mount Kenya University has received the highest number of government-sponsored students in the placement by Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) becoming the largest earner from the program.
Available data from Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) indicates that the university with a capacity of 4,995 received 2,247 students in the year 2020. To prove that Mt. Kenya has been favoured by the system, Kabarak University which had requested 3,300 students was given 2,181, Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) with a capacity of 1,980 received 867 students while KCA University with an ability of 3300 received 1363.
Baraton University which had requested 2,000 students was given 532 students while Gretsa University with a capacity of 850 students received 241 students. Kenya Methodist University asked for 2,565 and received 662 students while Uzima University College asked for 170 students and was given 42. Scott Christian University requested 1500 students but was only given 13 while International Leadership University which requested 50 students did not receive any.
