Kenya Issues Directive for Students to Pay in Dollars Instead of Shillings
International students are now required to pay $100 for student passes to obtain permission to pursue their studies in Kenya.
In a conversation with an administrator from a Kenyan international college, it came to light that the instruction was issued last week, coinciding with Kenya’s adjustment of permits for missionaries from Ksh15,000 to Ksh150,000.
According to a recent directive disclosed to Kenyans.co.ke, the government additionally stated that foreign students would no longer be permitted to pay their fees in Shillings.
“We were shocked to receive an invoice stating that we should pay USD100 (Ksh13,200) instead of the usual Ksh5,000 per student,” the administrator revealed.
“Additionally, we can no longer make the payments using mobile money as it can only allow transactions in local currency.”
The government’s rationale behind tripling the fees for international students remains undisclosed.
The directive has caused significant inconvenience for numerous schools in Kenya that accommodate students from abroad.
According to Master Studies, Kenya is home to more than 6,000 international students enrolled in different universities and colleges. Overall, the country accommodates upwards of 50,000 international students spanning from primary to tertiary education levels.
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The administrator noted that this directive now applies to all international students, regardless of whether they are in kindergarten or university.
“We prepare our fee structure using Kenyan Shilling but now it is complicated to do so due to the volatility of the dollar,” she explained.
As of April 17, USD 100 is currently valued at Ksh13,200, but it’s important to note that this exchange rate is subject to fluctuation, potentially changing within a short period, possibly even within a day or a few hours.
The academic institution is required to make the payment on behalf of the student using the Republic of Kenya’s Electronic Foreign Nationals Services (eFNS).
“Of course, the students cannot make the payments because they need to have a bank account for such,” the international college stated why they used one joint account to pay for the pupil passes.
“This is not possible because they must have the pupil pass to apply for Alien ID which can be used to open an account with Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) enabling the student now to have a bank account,” it was explained why the process was inconveniencing many schools and students.
Describing the frustration, the school administrator elaborated that the international college dealt with 40 applications each semester.
They are now compelled to raise tuition fees while also seeking methods to manage the fluctuating value of the dollar.
Kenya Issues Directive for Students to Pay in Dollars Instead of Shillings