Government announces HELB disbursement date for first-year students
The first disbursement of HELB loans for first-year students will commence on August 15, a date which coincides with the opening of universities.
The first disbursement of HELB loans for first-year students will commence on August 15, a date which coincides with the opening of universities.
This is according to Education CS Julius Ogamba, who clarified that the funds would be released in phases, in a move aimed at facilitating a smooth transition for new students.
The Ministry also announced a considerable increase in the allocation for the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), a major boost for students seeking loans for higher learning.
CS Ogamba further announced on Thursday that the allocation for HELB will rise from Ksh36 billion to Ksh41 billion.
A portion of this funding, according to the Ministry, will be directed towards student tuition and upkeep. The remainder will be allocated to scholarships.
In terms of figures, the Ministry revealed that Ksh13 billion would go towards students’ tuition, while the remaining Ksh16.9 billion would be directed to the Universities Fund to support scholarships for qualifying students.
According to Ogamba, the funding increase is part of the government’s ongoing efforts to ensure that students do not encounter financial barriers in their pursuit of higher education.
As far as the Universities Fund is concerned, disbursement has officially commenced, with the first quarter of scholarship funds for the 2025/2026 financial year being sent to public universities.
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Under the funding model, the Ministry expects to support around 201,695 first-year university students and over 237,000 TVET trainees for the upcoming academic year.
In addition, 257,523 continuing students are also set to benefit from the funding. The government estimates that 64 per cent of the expected university applicants and 51 per cent of TVET trainees for the September intake have already submitted their applications.
Applications for scholarships are currently ongoing for the students who sat for the 2024 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), placed by the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS).
Incidentally, the government’s latest announcement came barely weeks after HELB claimed it did not have the funds to issue new student loans this year.
Geoffrey Monari, HELB CEO, lamented that the fund had only received Ksh26 million this year, a far cry from the Ksh48 billion received in the last financial year.
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