The Ministry of Education has revealed how new university students can appeal the funding model bands they have been placed in.

This follows numerous complaints from the students who claimed to have been placed in the wrong bands.

According to Higher Education Principal Secretary Beatrice Inyangala, students placed in the ‘wrong’ bands can appeal through the higher education financing (HEF) portal.

They will be required to provide crucial information such as KCSE index number, reason for appeal as well as supporting documents in select cases.

Here is the procedure :

1. Visit the Higher Education Financing (HEF) website at www.hef.co.ke and select “Funds Appeal”
2. Fill in your details including Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) Index Number, beginning with the year of your examination.
3. Select Your Reason for Appeal i.e. due to being raised by a single parent, the death of both parents, or finding the expected household contribution too high.
4. Provide Supporting Documents. For example, if your appeal is based on the death of your parents, you must provide their death certificates.
5. Submit the Appeal: After filling in the form and attaching the necessary documents, submit the appeal.

The Education Ministry has assured that all appeals will be processed within three weeks from the date of application, allowing sufficient time for students to receive the financial support they need.

The new university funding model which targets students from the 2022 and 2023 KCSE cohorts was introduced by the government in a bid to ensure needy students get the full financial support they need.

Everything you need to know about the new ‘banding’ university funding model

Under the system, students are categorised into five bands based on their financial capabilities, with students from the most disadvantaged households receiving the highest level of support.

Band 1 consists of students from households with a monthly income of up to Sh. 5,995 while Band 2 covers families with a monthly income up to Sh. 23,670.

On the other hand, Band 3 covers students from households with a monthly income up to Sh. 70,000 while  Band 4 is for families with a monthly income up to Sh. 120,000.

Meanwhile, families with a monthly income above Sh. 120,000 fall under band 5.

The process of placing students into these bands is based on a detailed assessment of their financial situation using the Means Testing Instrument (MTI).

The MTI considers various factors including household income and financial assets, the number of dependents in the household, disabilities, and the number of students in the family, among others.