Following the recent demonstration by university students at Anniversary Towers in Nairobi, demanding the disbursement of HELB funds for their upkeep, the Higher Education Loans Board released Sh. 3.2 billion to address the situation.
The announcement, confirmed by the Ministry of Education through its Cabinet Secretary, further revealed that the released funds would cover capitation for first- and second-year university students for the 2024/2025 academic year.
An exclusive notice detailed that each student’s accounts were credited with between Sh. 40,000 and Sh. 60,000.
“The Government disbursed a total of Sh. 3.32 billion by January 31st 2025 for first and second-year students during the 2024/2025 Academic Year. The disbursements through the Higher Education Loans Board cover students’ upkeep,” said CS Julius Ogamba.
He clarified that the funds had already been allocated in the July 2024 budget for the current financial year.
HELB’s Lending Manager, King’ori Ndegwa said that approximately 180,000 students were affected by the delay in fund disbursement. He attributed the delay to an ongoing case in the High Court.
After frustrated students visited HELB’s offices and overpowered security at Anniversary Towers, Ndegwa reassured them that the funds would be disbursed to their accounts using the previous model.
