Egerton University Scraps 8 Degree Programs
Egerton University, which is facing financial difficulties, has announced plans to discontinue eight degree programs that have not been attracting enough students to sustain them.
The university’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Isaac Kibwage, explained that the move is aimed at improving the institution’s financial stability and reducing the risk of strikes.
The eight programs in question have reportedly not attracted the required quorum of 15 students over the past five years, and lecturers and staff in these departments will be among those targeted in the planned redundancy.
The move is part of the university’s efforts to manage its bloated wage bill, which has been a major source of financial strain.
According to Professor Kibwage, the academic staff take a lion’s share of the wage bill, followed by the non-teaching staff of KUSU and KUDHEIHA.
The management team is also said to consume a significant amount of money each month in salaries. The university is currently facing a significant financial crisis, struggling to pay its wage bill of more than Sh200 million and to clear a debt of Sh9 billion.
In addition to discontinuing the eight degree programs, the university plans to declare more staff redundant to remain afloat.
Professor Kibwage has warned that the government’s funding of Sh185 million per month, coupled with the average of Sh26 million raised through fees, is insufficient to cover the institution’s monthly wage bill of Sh240 million.
The government capped Egerton University’s annual budget at Sh3.7 billion in the current financial year, leading to a deficit of Sh1.3 billion.
In 2019, the university’s debt burden was Sh6 billion, but this figure has almost doubled since the onset of the pandemic in 2020.
The management team reduced lecturers’ salaries by 40% in an effort to rescue the institution, but the new government of President William Ruto has not offered any further assistance.
Egerton University’s financial woes have been ongoing for some time, but the discontinuation of the eight degree programs is a step towards improving its financial stability.
Egerton University Scraps 8 Degree Programs
