President William Ruto defended his recent declaration that the government would fund Kenyan students who qualify to join universities and colleges.
Speaking on Thursday, July 23, Ruto stated that the announcement was just hot air, and disclosed that he had a concrete plan to deliver on the promise.
He explained that the plan will be an adjustment of the new university funding model, which he claimed had offered solutions to universities which had previously faced shutdowns due to heavy debt.
The President told naysayers that he would deliver on the new funding plan, just as he did with the Affordable Housing Programme despite doubts from several politicians and Kenyans.
"In 2022, some of the universities were facing shutdowns because they could not afford to pay lecturers and supplies. I changed the funding model, which brought change to the universities.
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"I am not a madman, nor a drunk, nor am I stupid. I know what I am saying. We said we will have affordable housing. Aren't houses, markets and hostels being built? I know what I am doing," Ruto reiterated.
The Head of State added that he has already embarked on the processes of establishing legislation to see that his university funding plan is achieved.
He intimated that the Higher Education Loans Board Amendment Bill had already been tabled in the National Assembly to effect changes to the tertiary institutions' funding model.
" There is a Higher Education Loans Board Amendment Bill in Parliament, which will enable us to ensure that every Kenyan who is placed in TVET or university, we will ensure that there is funding to educate all of them.
"I declare today that our children joining universities and tertiary institutions, that going forward, the government of Kenya will have a funding model to ensure that these children will get an opportunity to go to school,: he stated.
Meanwhile, President Ruto hit back at Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna over his cunning remark that the people of Western Region would find it difficult to live in the Affordable Housing units.
Sifuna stated that his people would prefer living in areas where they could freely rear chicken. Ruto questioned the Senator's school of thought, stating that chicken cannot be a reason to stop such a life-changing project.
"You are telling us not to build affordable housing because chickens cannot be taken to the 17th floor.
“How foolish do you think we are? Some people have no sense. Can someone who says such things really be considered sensible?" President Ruto quipped.
