Educated but Abandoned: When University Students are Left to Survive on Their Own

While public conversations celebrate resilience and the culture of “hustling,” the reality on the ground is harsher: ambition is alive, but support systems are weakening. Students describe campus life not as a balance between study and social life, but as a daily negotiation between survival and dignity. “You learn to stretch everything; food, time, even hope,” says one second-year student.

“Some days you attend classes hungry, not because you want to, but because you have to”, a finalist speaks of the pressure to appear stable despite mounting challenges. “You don’t want lecturers or classmates to see you struggling. So you smile and keep going.” Behind the smiles, anxiety over rent, tuition and basic needs quietly erodes concentration, participation and mental well-being. Many endure in silence, afraid that admitting hardship may invite stigma rather than support.

A secondary school board chairman with years of experience in education leadership argues that the crisis extends beyond individual households. Rapid university expansion and rising enrolment have outpaced the financial systems meant to sustain them. The Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), established to widen access to higher education, now faces mounting pressure. Some students receive approximately KSh 35,000 annually an amount that barely covers rent, food and essential materials.

Combined with declining parental contributions and uneven bursary distribution, the strain is visible in overcrowded housing, poor nutrition and heightened vulnerability. “When funding systems weaken,” he warns, “student dreams are not just delayed they are dimmed.”

Addressing this reality requires more than sympathy. HELB allocations must reflect current economic conditions so students can complete their studies and repay loans after employment. Supporting students to graduation is not generosity; it is sound financial logic. 

Alternative financing models , including partnerships between financial institutions and universities could ease pressure on State funding. At the same time, bursary funds managed across various offices must be consolidated and distributed transparently to ensure equity and accountability. When financial support is predictable and fair, students can focus on learning rather than mere survival.

Expanding enrolment without strengthening support structures risks producing graduates burdened not only by debt but by avoidable hardship. Students continue to attend lectures, submit assignments and hold tightly to their aspirations despite immense strain. Their resilience is admirable, but resilience alone cannot sustain a national education system. If education remains the backbone of development, then funding it sustainably is not optional , it is essential. The question is no longer whether students are strong enough to endure hardship, but whether we are willing to build systems strong enough to support them.