Nairobi, March 13 -- Public universities cumulatively owe statutory bodies and other creditors a total of Sh75 billion in pending bills, a figure which has doubled in a span of two years and continues to attract huge interest, putting their operations at risk.

The revelation comes at a time when the government is transitioning to a new funding model that appears headed for a rocky path less than a year after it was unveiled, following delays in disbursing funds to the cash-strapped universities.

The Universities Fund (UF) requires Sh11.9 from the Exchequer for students in their first year of study after receiving only Sh7.97 billion. The CEO of the fund, Mr Geoffrey Monari, said public universities had been issued with promissory letter...