MPs probe CUE on its regulation of universities

A parliamentary committee has expressed its displeasure with the regulatory capabilities of the Commission for University Education (CUE), saying this could be contributing to the problems  currently being witnessed in institutions of higher learning in Kenya.

The National Assembly Committee on Education on Thursday put to task CUE Chairman, Chacha Nyaigotti-Chacha, and Chief Executive, Mike Kuria, to explain the state of universities regulation, even as they accused the commission of losing its grip on overseeing the sector.

Some of the major issues raised by MPs included why the commission takes too long to accredit academic programmes — some taking up to 13 years — how the Commission deals with unaccredited institutions, the lecturer-to-student ratio, and the procedure for awarding honorary degrees, among others.

Committee Chairman, Julius Melly, expressed concern that CUE still seeks information from universities by writing letters in this digital era, instead of having a higher education management system that, at the touch of a button, should provide access to all relevant data on universities.

“You mean you still write down letters? We cannot agree to that. There is a question of enforcement here — a commission with regulatory powers has no biting powers?” said the Tinderet MP.

However, Prof Chacha defended CUE, stating that they sometimes seek information from universities in writing to put matters into perspective.

“We are up to the task, we have never failed this country. The data is available but not packaged, and we are pleading for time to organise it. Universities are in good hands, but we face challenges stemming from the economy, just like any other sector. We follow the law,” said Chacha.

But Luanda MP, Dick Maungu, was not convinced by CUE’s responses, saying this was not the first time the commission had failed to respond substantively to questions.

“We always have issues with the commission; questions are not competently responded to, and the committee had previously considered censuring it.

‘‘We have a lot of problems in higher education, and you are the ‘guardian angels’ of the sector. CUE seems to lack the teeth to bite,” Maungu stated.

In his presentation, Prof Kuria addressed the issue of unaccredited degrees, saying a few accredited universities may find themselves in such situations.

“These would mainly be public universities, because those that existed before December 13, 2012 were regulated by their own Acts of Parliament, and therefore programmes within these universities were governed by the Senate of the respective public university.

“Following the enactment of the Universities Act Cap 210 and its operationalisation on December 14, 2012, programmes approved by the senates of public universities were deemed to have been accredited by the commission,” he explained.

He cited challenges encountered during the transition period where some were inadvertently left out in the accreditation reports.

Kuria, however, said CUE and the affected universities have been working to address this transitional hitch, citing instances where the commission wrote to universities on various dates in November and December 2023, requiring them to review the list of accredited programmes and identify any that are currently being offered but not listed on the CUE website.