Students Left Stranded as HELB Funds Delay: MP Demands Answers.
The ongoing student funding crisis in public universities, which has persisted since last year, remains unresolved despite intervention efforts by authorities. Although the Higher Education Loans Board (Helb) recently announced that funds had been released for students’ upkeep, many recipients are still awaiting their disbursements.
Kirinyaga Woman Representative Njeri Maina has urged the Departmental Committee on Education to address the ongoing delays in the disbursement of Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) funds.
Raising the issue in the National Assembly on Tuesday, February 18, she sought clarification regarding the financial crisis affecting students across the country, many of whom are struggling due to the delayed funds.
Njeri emphasized that despite the government’s commitment to reinstating the old HELB model, it had failed to ensure the timely release of funds. She asserted that the continued delays contradicted Article 43(1) of the Constitution, which guarantees every Kenyan the right to education.
To address the crisis, the Kirinyaga Woman Representative called for a comprehensive report detailing the exact amount allocated by the National Treasury under the HELB model.
The report should include the specific dates of disbursements and the total number of students who have benefitted from the funds since November 2024. Furthermore, she urged the committee to outline measures to prevent future financial disruptions affecting students’ education.
Legal Challenges and Student Protests
Uncertainty arose in December 20, 2024 when the High Court invalidated the new student funding model, deeming it unconstitutional and discriminatory. This funding approach, introduced by President William Ruto after his August 2022 election, was intended to address shortcomings in the previous Helb loan system.
In contrast to Helb’s uniform loan allocation for students enrolled in the same courses, the new model classified beneficiaries into different financial brackets based on their parents’ economic background.
Prior to its annulment, this system led to major disruptions, with many students uncertain about their funding status. Some were forced to drop out, while others settled for more affordable courses despite qualifying for costlier programs.
The court’s decision effectively halted the implementation of the new system until the government ensured full compliance with legal and constitutional standards.
This ruling created uncertainty among university students, particularly third and fourth-year students, who heavily depend on HELB funds for sustenance.
In February, frustration among students escalated into protests over the prolonged delays. The pressure ultimately forced HELB to release funds to first and second-year students under the old model, pending an appeal against the High Court ruling.
To ease the growing discontent, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba clarified that funds had been disbursed since they were already included in the 2024/25 budget.
He assured that the government would continue financing universities under the revised funding model while working to resolve the legal concerns raised by the court.
Delays in Disbursement
In response to protests, authorities decided to temporarily fund First- and Second-Year students—who had been part of the scrapped model—under the previous Differentiated Unit Cost (DUC) system until a ruling on the government’s appeal is made.
The Education Ministry must urgently address these financial disruptions to prevent further hardship among students.
Despite the reinstatement of Helb, the anticipated relief among thousands of public university students and their guardians has been short-lived. The delay in fund allocation continues to cause significant distress.
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While some students have received funds via mobile money transfers, many remain in limbo as the Helb portal displays a prolonged ‘Disbursement in Progress’ status. A Helb official confirmed that the government had already allocated Sh7 billion for this purpose.
The Departmental Committee on Education is now expected to respond to Njeri Maina’s concerns through a detailed report, set to be presented on Tuesday, February 25.
The report is anticipated to provide clarity on the financial status of HELB and address the broader issues surrounding the delays in disbursement.
Students Left Stranded as HELB Funds Delay: MP Demands Answers.
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