The Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2023
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Executive
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Private University Representatives Removed from Placement Board
Amends Section 55(3) of the Universities Act, 2012 to remove the two Vice-Chancellors representing private universities from the KUCCPS Placement Board, reducing the total board membership from thirteen to eleven.
Placements Restricted to Public Institutions
Amends Section 56(1)(a) of the principal Act to specify that the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) shall only coordinate and place government-sponsored students in public universities and colleges.
Six-Month Implementation and 30-Day Publication Window
Provides that the Act will come into force six months after its commencement. Following commencement, KUCCPS is required to publish and publicize the new placement changes within thirty days.
Bill No.
No. 38 of 2023
Gazette No.
Supplement No. 122 of 2023
Sponsor
Wanami Wamboka
Background
The principal objective of the Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2023 is to establish a legal framework that restricts the placement of government-sponsored students exclusively to public universities and colleges. By doing so, the Bill seeks to safeguard the Universities Fund and align higher education funding with the constitutional principles of public finance.
Key Amendments
Amendment of Section 55 of No. 42 of 2012
The Bill proposes to delete subsection (3) of Section 55 of the Universities Act, 2012 and replace it with a new subsection. The new composition of the Placement Board reduces the membership from thirteen to eleven by removing the two Vice-Chancellors representing private universities. The reconstituted board will consist of:
- A chairperson appointed by the Cabinet Secretary
- The Secretary of the Commission for University Education
- The chief executive of the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB)
- The chief executive of the TVET Funding Board
- The chief executive of the TVETA
- Two Vice-Chancellors representing Public Universities
- Two representatives of the Kenya Association of Technical Institutions
- The Principal Secretary in the Ministry responsible for higher education
- The Principal Secretary in the Ministry responsible for finance
Amendment of Section 56 of No. 42 of 2012
Section 56(1)(a) is amended to insert the word 'public' immediately after the words 'government sponsored students to'. This restricts the scope of the Placement Board's placement functions exclusively to public institutions.
New Obligations
- KUCCPS Restrictions: The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) must limit the coordination and placement of government-sponsored students exclusively to public universities and colleges.
- Information Publication: KUCCPS is obligated to publish and publicize the new changes in the placement of government-sponsored students within thirty days of the Act's commencement.
Transitional Provisions
- Commencement: The provisions of the Act shall come into force six months after its commencement.
- Publicity Timeline: KUCCPS has a statutory period of thirty days after the commencement date to publish and publicize the new placement rules.
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Updates will be visible here once they are approved and applied to this bill.