Hawking of University Education in Urban Centers in Kenya: Challenges and Way Forward.

Abstract

The demand of university education in Kenya has been increasing. Consequently, public and private universities have overenrolled to cater for this demand. Moreover, the universities have used this crisis to generate income to support both human and material resources needed for privately-sponsored students. To make education accessible to students, especially the working class, universities have moved to urban centers where they have strategically positioned themselves in satellite campuses. The main operation points of the universities are central business districts (CBD) in urban centers. Some of the universities that have not secured the coveted CBD premises have moved to the periphery. Proximity to the city notwithstanding, universities are engaged in stiff competition to outdo each other by introducing new and cost-effective courses which are taught in sandwich mode. Thus, the quality of the education offered in urban satellite campuses is brought into critical scrutiny in this paper with a view to establishing the challenges experienced and suggestions on how to improve the situation. This paper will rely on both primary and secondary data particularly records from selected private and public universities with regard to facilities and other resources. Observation and recording of information was utilized in data collection.