HELB Kicks Off Disbursement of Funds to Students
It has been two weeks since students in various learning institutions began their studies for the new academic year, which recently commenced. Before the semester started, many people applied for academic funding and loans from the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB).
As expected, qualified applicants should apply for the loan at least one month before the start of classes to allow sufficient time for processing, verification, allocation, and eventual disbursement.
Qualified applicants can anticipate receiving their loan disbursement, which ranges from 37,000 to 60,000 (depending on their qualifications), 14 days before the semester’s commencement. However, the board has encountered unavoidable challenges that have disrupted their planned activities.
This situation has prompted student leaders from various institutions, including former University of Nairobi student leader and current Member of Parliament for Embakasi East, Babu Owino, and Kenya University Students Organization (KUSO) President Anthony Manyara, to advocate for faster disbursement of HELB loans. They have even threatened to protest outside HELB offices if the board continues to delay.
The government recently doubled the allocation for HELB funds from 15 billion to 30 billion, bolstering the board’s financial capacity to support more qualified and needy students. President William Ruto has expressed his commitment to the success of his education agenda.
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The government has also pledged its full support for the new University funding model, ensuring that all students, regardless of gender, tribe, or age, have access to quality education through funding. Education CS Ezekiel Machogu has assured that all funding applicants will be accommodated.
As of today, many applications show a “Disbursement in progress” status, indicating a successful application that has undergone all authenticity stages, including registration, verification, and allocation. What remains is for HELB to credit the amount to the respective bank accounts.
Nearly three-quarters of applicants, mostly continuing students, have batch numbers. Batch 5026 was paid last week, and other remaining batches are expected to be paid soon. Students are advised to exercise patience as these processes are finalized.
Students facing challenges when applying for loans are encouraged to visit the nearest Huduma Center or the HELB offices at Anniversary Towers, Nairobi. Alternatively, they can contact HELB via phone at 0711052000 or email at contactcentre@helb.co.ke.
