Pwani University President Vincent Obondo has hailed Wiper Democratic Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka as the beacon of hope for university students as he decried the struggles they are enduring under the new funding model introduced by President William Ruto’s administration.
Obondo was speaking after Kalonzo visited the university on the first day of his official Coast region tour on Sunday, February 9, 2025, when he urged him to take heed of the pressing challenges young people are facing, emphasizing that he remains their only source of hope.
“Naomba pia hii mambo ya hii new funding model, hii kitu inatuumiza bwana Kalonzo. Hii kitu imeleta wanafunzi sasa inakuwa kila mtu anakuwa disappointed,” Obondo said.
Abolishing funding model
The student leader continued to air his grievances to Kalonzo, stating that the model had become a source of frustration for many students and implored him, given his legal expertise and stature as an opposition leader, to intervene and push for its abolition.
He pointed out that Kalonzo was well-connected and could leverage his influence to dismantle the model, as students wanted nothing to do with it.
“Sasa hii kitu tunaomba ya kwamba iishe. Wewe kama lawyer ukishikana huko na Baba yao ambaye pia ako hapa na wale ambao mko nao, tunaomba ya kwamba haya maneno yaishe,” he said.
Obondo, speaking amid cheers from his fellow comrades, then assured the Wiper leader that he need not worry, as the youth stood firmly behind him and were actively praying for his success in the 2027 presidential race.
“Otherwise, tunakuombea. Na sisi kama youths tuko na wewe,” he concluded.
Kalonzo responds
Kalonzo, who had earlier in the day launched a new Wiper Party office in the Kwa Ndome area of Kilifi, then responded to the student president’s concerns, addressing the animated crowd and expressing his appreciation for their warm reception.
He aligned himself with the president’s remarks about the model, reminiscing about his tenure as Minister for Education when they had implemented a highly effective framework for student loans.
He asserted that the ongoing hardships students are facing stem from Ruto’s ill-conceived funding structure.
“I was Minister for Education, and it was during my tenure that we began properly streamlining the Higher Education Loans Board. Mimi mwenyewe nilisoma nayo, and it was very helpful. We used to get Ksh6,000,” Kalonzo said.
Kalonzo did not hold back in his critique, branding the new model as fundamentally flawed and outrightly dismissing Ruto’s handling of student loans as nonsensical.
He justified his condemnation by explaining that the model’s structure is inherently disadvantageous to learners from underprivileged backgrounds.
“Now, Ruto’s new funding model is unworkable, and he should stop the nonsense. Because it now means students from poor families will never access education. The right to education is a basic right under Article 43 of the Constitution. Therefore, you are not begging anybody—it is your right,” he added.
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