Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has urged MPs to fast-track a Bill that would extend government funding to every student who qualifies for higher education — not just those who join universities.

Kindiki spoke on Monday, 9 November 2026, in Voi, Taita Taveta County, during an inspection of development projects, and asked Parliament to complete the legislative process before breaking for the December recess.

The Universities and Higher Education Placement and Funding Bill, 2026, is currently being debated in Parliament.

"We have decided that, going forward, every student who qualifies to join a university, the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC), a teachers' training college or a technical training institute must receive government support, just as university students do," Kindiki said.

The Bill is aimed at ending a long-standing disparity in which only university students received government support. Under the proposed law, students would be funded based on merit rather than their families' financial circumstances.

The proposed legislation would bring the various funding arrangements under one Higher Education Fund, which would oversee student placement and financing across institutions of higher learning, and expand the mandate of the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) to coordinate funding for students across different institutions.

Kindiki said the government is also building student hostels with a total capacity of 180,000 across universities, KMTCs, teachers' training colleges and technical training institutes. On Monday he inspected construction of a hostel at Voi KMTC Campus that will accommodate 580 students at a cost of KSh 230 million.

The Bill is not yet law — it still has to pass through Parliament. The December recess is the deadline Kindiki has set for it.