Govt Announces Date When First Years Will Start Receiving HELB Loans: "We're Pleased to Confirm"

• HELB loans for first-year university students will begin disbursing from August 15, aligning with the start of the academic calendar
• The government has increased HELB's allocation by KSh 5 billion, signalling a renewed commitment to easing financial pressure on learners
• Scholarships and tuition support for thousands of university and TVET students are already underway as disbursements begin

TUKO.co.ke journalist Harry Ivan Mboto has over three years of experience reporting on politics and current affairs in Kenya

Relief is on the way for thousands of new university students as the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) prepares to release the first batch of funds.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba announced that HELB loans for first-year students will be disbursed starting August 15, coinciding with the reopening of universities.

"We are pleased to confirm that both HELB and Universities Fund have been facilitated by the government to disburse funds to universities and students. Indeed, the disbursement of HELB loans for first year students will begin in August 15," Ogamba said in a statement.

Read also

Government announces reduction of university fees, orders institutions to comply

The funds will be released in stages to ensure a smooth and manageable rollout for students transitioning into higher education.

When will first years get HELB loans?

In a significant policy shift, the Ministry of Education also announced a substantial rise in HELB’s overall funding, increasing the allocation from KSh 36 billion to KSh 41 billion.

Of this amount, KSh 13 billion will cater to tuition fees, while KSh 16.9 billion will go to the Universities Fund to support scholarships for students who qualify under the new government funding model.

According to the ministry, this funding boost is part of the government’s broader strategy to eliminate financial obstacles that often hinder students from accessing university and technical training.

Already, public universities have started receiving the first instalment of scholarship funds for the 2025–2026 financial year.

Is 2025/2026 HELB application still open?

This expanded support is expected to benefit at least 201,695 new university students and over 237,000 trainees joining Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions.

Read also

Kenyan public schools close week earlier as cash crunch bites

Additionally, more than 257,000 continuing students will also receive support under the revised plan.

For the September intake, 64% of the expected university students and 51% of TVET applicants have already submitted their applications.

The Ministry also confirmed that scholarship applications are ongoing for candidates who sat for the 2024 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) and secured placements through the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS).

"As of today, 129,403 university students and 60, 979 TVET trainees have successfully submitted their scholarship and loan applications under the Student-Centred Funding Model (SCFM)," the statement added.

Is HELB short of funds?

Interestingly, the latest government commitment follows concerns raised by HELB in previous weeks about a shortage of funds.

HELB CEO Geoffrey Monari recently revealed that the fund had only received KSh 26 million this year, far below the KSh 48 billion allocated in the last financial cycle.

To effectively track loan defaulters, HELB sought access to databases from the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) and the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA).

Proofreading by Asher Omondi, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.

Source: TUKO.co.ke