The Kenyan government has released KSh4.2 billion in scholarship funding to public universities, benefiting more than 400,000 continuing undergraduate students under the Student-Centred Funding Model (SCFM).
The latest disbursement increases the total allocation from the National Treasury for the 2025/2026 financial year to KSh18.4 billion. The funds will cover tuition fees for students admitted to public universities in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Universities Fund, Dr. Edwin Wanyonyi, said the funding underscores the government’s commitment to expanding access to higher education and supporting students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds.
According to him, the investment reflects the critical role universities play in driving national development, improving access to quality education, and preparing future professionals and innovators.
The release comes ahead of the reopening of the Higher Education Financing (HEF) Portal, where students admitted through the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) cohort will apply for scholarships and loans from the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB).
Dr. Wanyonyi urged students placed in public universities by the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) to submit their scholarship and loan applications promptly once the portal opens, noting that applying for both forms of support would help reduce the financial burden on households.
Since the Student-Centred Funding Model was introduced in 2023, more than 400,000 students have benefited from government scholarships. The first beneficiaries under the programme are expected to graduate next year.
Under the model, scholarship awards are determined by students’ financial needs, with tuition payments made directly to public universities on behalf of eligible beneficiaries.
The government also noted a significant increase in the number of students qualifying for direct university admission, rising from 69,155 in 2017 to 270,715 in 2025—a 292 per cent increase.
To meet the growing demand for university education, the government has increased scholarship funding to KSh30.8 billion for the 2026/2027 financial year.
Eligible applicants must be Kenyan citizens, have been placed in a public university through KUCCPS, have sat the KCSE examination in 2022 or later, and complete an application through the HEF Portal. Continuing students can also apply using the *642# USSD code linked to the mobile number registered on the portal.
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