About the Fund
The goal of the Chancellor's Education Fund is to provide sustainable financial support to academically qualified vulnerable students at the Open University of Kenya by removing economic barriers to higher education, promoting equitable access, enhancing student retention and fostering inclusive development.
Executive summary
A transformative initiative for equitable access
The Chancellor's Education Fund at the Open University of Kenya (OUK) is a transformative initiative aimed at promoting equitable access to higher education by addressing financial barriers that may prevent academically qualified students from vulnerable and disadvantaged backgrounds from enrolling in, continuing, or completing their studies. The Fund aligns with OUK's mission of providing affordable, flexible, inclusive, and quality higher education and reflects the University's core values of excellence, inclusivity, innovation, integrity, and accountability.
This Implementation Framework provides the institutional and operational structure for the transparent, fair, and accountable administration of the Fund. It outlines the Fund's objectives, guiding principles, sources and allocation of resources, eligibility requirements, application and selection procedures, competitive and merit-based award process, implementation responsibilities, monitoring, reporting, and timelines.
The Framework is designed to ensure that support reaches deserving students based on demonstrated financial need, academic merit, and other approved vulnerability considerations, while safeguarding transparency, fairness, accountability, and responsible use of resources.
The immediate objective is to operationalise and formally launch the Fund. The immediate strategic milestone is the official launch of the Chancellor's Education Fund by the Chancellor on 27 November 2026, during the third Graduation Ceremony of the Open University of Kenya. The launch will mark an important step in institutionalising the Fund and communicating OUK's commitment to inclusive and equitable access to higher education. It will also provide an opportunity to mobilise continued support and partnerships for the sustainability and growth of the Fund.
1.0 Introduction
From the Chancellor’s honoraria to a University endowment
The purpose of the Chancellor's Education Fund Implementation Framework is to provide clear direction on the operationalisation of the Fund. The Fund is intended to be progressively developed into an endowment fund of the University, supported through sustainable and diversified sources of funding.
The Fund is to be initiated through the Chancellor's contribution from the Chancellor's monthly honoraria, which the Chancellor directed to be channelled towards supporting needy students of the Open University of Kenya (OUK).
The Fund shall be governed by the Open University of Kenya Chancellor's Education Fund Board (CEFB), with financial oversight by the University Council, in accordance with the Universities Act, 2012, Section 24(1)(b) and the Public Finance Management (PFM) Act, 2012, as applicable.
Through diversified resource mobilisation, the Fund seeks to empower vulnerable and deserving students to access and pursue higher education opportunities that they may otherwise be unable to afford, thereby advancing OUK's commitment to inclusivity, accessibility, equity, and student success.
1.1 Objectives
Objectives of the Implementation Framework
- 1To ensure the timely launch and operationalisation of the Chancellor's Education Fund within the approved implementation timelines.
- 2To provide clear guidance and a structured framework for the effective implementation and administration of the Fund.
- 3To establish clear, transparent, and equitable criteria for the identification and selection of eligible beneficiaries.
1.2 Guiding principles
Principles that guide the Fund
To ensure the effective and sustainable implementation of the Chancellor's Education Fund, the Implementation Framework shall be guided by the following principles:
- 01
Promotion of National and Organisational Values
Upholding national values and principles of governance, as well as OUK's institutional values, in all aspects of the Fund's administration.
- 02
Customer Focus
Ensuring that the needs, dignity, accessibility, and welfare of eligible students remain central to the Fund's implementation.
- 03
Innovation and Technology
Leveraging appropriate technologies and innovative approaches to enhance accessibility, efficiency, transparency, and accountability in the administration of the Fund.
- 04
Leadership Involvement and Commitment
Ensuring active leadership support, commitment, oversight, and accountability throughout the implementation of the Fund.
- 05
Corporate Performance
Promoting effective planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting to ensure that the Fund achieves its intended objectives and delivers measurable impact.
- 06
Prudent Financial Management
Ensuring responsible, transparent, efficient, and accountable mobilisation, allocation, utilisation, and reporting of the Fund's resources.
2.0 Fund sources and allocation
How the Fund is resourced
At the launch of the Chancellor's Education Fund on 27 November 2026, an initial KES 5,000,000 shall be injected into the Fund, comprising KES 3,500,000 from the USAID Project and KES 1,500,000 from the Chancellor's Honoraria Kitty.
Thereafter, the Fund shall be progressively strengthened through continued contributions from the Chancellor's honoraria, fundraising initiatives, donations, grants, and other approved sources of funding, with the long-term objective of developing it into a sustainable University endowment fund.
The first call for applications shall be issued by 15 January 2027 for eligible students joining the Open University of Kenya (OUK) in April 2027. The Fund shall support eligible learners enrolled in certificate, diploma, and bachelor's degree programmes at OUK, in accordance with the approved eligibility and beneficiary selection criteria.
2.1 Fund activities
What the Fund supports
Open University of Kenya's Chancellor's Fund award modalities shall apply a competitive, meritocratic, and transparent process that balances academic merit with demonstrated need, while protecting inclusion for vulnerable learners in line with the Open University of Kenya vision and mission.
The Chancellor's Fund shall, for the time being, solely support students for tuition fees in the form of bursaries for needy learners. Where donations are received in the form of digital access tools such as learning equipment, assistive devices, internet connectivity and other resources, candidates who apply to be supported through the Chancellor's Fund may also apply to benefit from the devices. The two requests shall be treated separately.
3.4 Implementation timeline
Key milestones
The implementation of the Chancellor's Education Fund shall be undertaken in accordance with the approved timelines and key milestones below.
| # | Activity | By when | Responsible |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Approval of the Chancellor's Fund instruments by Council | 30 October 2026 | Vice-Chancellor |
| 2 | Approval of the Chancellor's Kitty account opening and transfer of funds to the Chancellor's Kitty | 15 November 2026 | Finance Officer |
| 3 | Appointment of the Chancellor's Fund Board | 15 November 2026 | Vice-Chancellor |
| 4 | Launch of the Chancellor's Fund | 30 November 2026 | Vice-Chancellor |
| 5 | Develop a call for applications and selection criteria tools | 15 January 2027 | Fund Board |
| 6 | Call for applications for the first cohort of beneficiary learners | 30 January 2027 | Fund Board |
| 7 | First cohort of beneficiaries launched | 30 April 2027 | Vice-Chancellor / Fund Board |
Be part of the Fund from the start
Contributions from the launch onwards build the Fund towards a lasting University endowment.