Higher Education Loans Board — student loan provider, appears in coverage of tertiary education funding reforms and government consolidation proposals.
… ID acquisition process for the hundreds of thousands transitioning from secondary school to universities and where the identification card is a necessity for placement with the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) and the Higher Education Loans Board …
… You should leave those in office to do their job,” Obiero said.Kisumu universities and colleges association president and also president of Kisumu national polytechnics Silas Adem pointed to changes in student financing, claiming that increased Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) …
… The concerns come as the 2026/27 budget provides substantial resources for higher education, including KSh56.7 billion allocated to the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB). …
… For students already placed and in school, he called for the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) and the University Fund to be granted their allocations immediately so they can disburse an interim funding stream to affected students. …
… Speaking during a public hearing at Kisumu National Polytechnic on Wednesday, Lugari MP Nabii Nabwera said the proposed education funding authority would consolidate resources currently used by the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), university funding programmes and scholarship …
… She said KUCCPS validates student data every semester after students report to institutions, enabling universities to access government funding and the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) to process funds. …
… e says his performance was cool and yet he was a drunkard.When he went to the university, Sindani says he believed that as long as one is schooled, there's nothing wrong with taking beer, which he considered classy. “As university students, we had the Higher Education Loans Board …
Ministry of Education orders extension of HELB, University Fund applications to September 21 By Citizen Reporter September 03, 2026 03:02 (EAT) Add as a Preferred Source on Google Follow us Follow on Whatsapp Follow on Google Follow on Twitter Education Cabinet Secretary Julius M …
The National Assembly rejected the Registration of Persons (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which sought to issue national identity cards and register secondary school students aged 18 as voters while still in school. The Administration and Internal Security Committee recommended rejection, citing concerns that mass registration during the school calendar could disrupt learning and that limiting the programme to secondary schools would exclude other eligible persons such as out-of-school youth.
The National Assembly rejected the Registration of Persons (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which sought to issue national identity cards and register secondary school students aged 18 as voters while still in school. The Administration and Internal Security Committee recommended rejection, citing concerns that mass registration during the school calendar could disrupt learning and that limiting the programme to secondary schools would exclude other eligible persons such as out-of-school youth.
University and college student leaders have criticised former President Uhuru Kenyatta for claiming that the late Raila Odinga won the 2022 presidential election, calling his remarks divisive and urging him to allow the current administration to govern. The remarks have reignited debate over the August 2022 election, in which the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission declared William Ruto president-elect with 50.49 per cent of votes against Odinga's 48.85 per cent.
Thousands of students entering universities, colleges, and TVET institutions this month face uncertainty over tuition and living costs despite President Ruto's July 21 commitment to full government funding. The Elimu Bora Working Group says the announcement created expectations but students have reported to institutions without clear information on implementation, exposing gaps between policy announcements and implementation mechanisms.
Parents of university and college students have resorted to borrowing from informal lenders after government funding promises failed to materialise, leaving thousands of learners stranded at home or without confirmed placements. Stakeholders warn that learners from poor households risk accumulating debt while waiting for promised government support.
Members of Parliament are proposing a new education funding authority that would consolidate billions of shillings currently channelled through separate programmes including HELB, university funding, and various scholarship initiatives into a single fund for tertiary education covering universities, TVET institutions, teacher training colleges, and medical colleges.
Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service faces scrutiny over Sh300 million in unpaid placement fees from institutions that have defaulted on the Sh1,500 charge per placed student. The National Assembly Education Committee demanded details on defaulters and recovery measures, with KUCCPS revealing it collected Sh261.57 million against a target of Sh284.16 million in the 2025/26 financial year.
Wundanyi MP Danson Mwashako has rejected the proposed Tertiary Education Placement and Funding Bill, 2026, calling it an unworkable model that will create chaos and lock out needy students. He plans to mobilise legislators against the law, which seeks to replace the current student-centred model with a modified loan-based structure and amalgamate HELB and TVET funding.
Lairuka Jackson Sindani, a Principal Assistant to the County Commissioner in Kakamega, recounts how alcohol nearly derailed his career and personal life after peer pressure led him to drink chang'aa in secondary school, and how he eventually overcame the addiction.
The Ministry of Education has extended the application period for the Universities Fund and Higher Education Loans Board to September 21, 2026, citing that some eligible students and trainees may have missed the August 31 deadline. The previous window received 789,422 applications, and the government has already disbursed Ksh.22.12 billion in first-semester funding to continuing university students and TVET trainees.
The government extended the application window for university and TVET funding for first-time students to September 21, 2026, after receiving 789,422 applications by the initial August 31 deadline. The extension was made to allow eligible students who missed the deadline for various reasons to apply.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has extended the application deadline for first-time university and TVET funding to September 21, giving students and trainees who missed the August 31 cutoff three additional weeks to apply for state support.
Confusion over the government's new university funding model has left hundreds of students unable to report for their first year, while those already enrolled struggle without loan or scholarship disbursements. The crisis stems from the government's suspension of the existing funding model pending passage of the proposed Tertiary Education Placement and Funding Bill in Parliament.
Incoming first-year students at public universities are experiencing confusion and anxiety about tuition payments due to information gaps surrounding the government's proposed Variable Scholarship and Loan Funding (VSLF) model, which promises up to 100 per cent financial support through scholarships, loans, and household contributions determined by a Means Testing Instrument. Students report a lack of clear communication from university administration about how the transition to the new framework will affect their admission and fee status.
Three vulnerable boys from Turkana County secured places at top secondary schools and obtained impressive KCSE results with support from an elderly woman benefactor, Christina Cherono, who died in December 2025. Now stranded without her support, the trio—Humphrey Loreh, Fred Amurio, and Brian Kimutai—cannot proceed to university education.
The Education Cabinet Secretary confirmed that the government is reforming higher education funding to accommodate every eligible learner, as university admissions have increased by more than 300 per cent in less than a decade. The Universities Fund has disbursed scholarships worth Ksh.78 billion over the past three financial years as demand for higher education rises.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has defended the government's proposed university funding model, challenging former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and other critics to offer alternative solutions rather than only criticising the reforms. Ogamba argued that the current system is unsustainable and that the proposed changes would introduce an investment approach where the State considers students' eventual careers and earning potential when determining higher education financing.
The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service has opened applications for the September 2026 intake at Ronald Ngala Utalii College, a new Kilifi-based campus offering 13 hospitality and tourism programmes. KUCCPS will establish an on-site support centre with staff and representatives from HELB and the Tourism Fund to assist prospective students with applications, career guidance, and financing information.
The National Assembly will consider six Bills proposing reforms across Kenya's education sector, targeting basic education governance, national assessments, curriculum development, teacher training, tertiary education funding and qualification recognition. The Bills, sponsored by the Leader of the Majority Party, have been committed to the Education Committee for consideration and public participation.
The government is moving toward a new higher education funding system that could leave graduates with significantly larger debts. The previous HELB allocation of about Sh40,000 annually in 2017 fell short of students' actual costs for tuition, accommodation, food, transport, and research.
The Ministry of Education is defending a proposed Tertiary Education Placement and Funding Bill that would ring-fence Ksh.100 billion in annual government grants for higher education, combining existing allocations to help achieve 100 per cent transition to institutions of higher learning. The ministry projects student numbers in higher education will double from 1.2 million to 2.4 million by 2030/2031, requiring total funding of Ksh.230 billion to be drawn from government grants, capital market borrowing, parent savings, student loan repayments and soft loans.
The National Assembly's Committee on Education has begun scrutinizing four proposed Bills aimed at implementing recommendations from the Presidential Working Party on Education Reform. The key legislation includes the Tertiary Education Placement and Funding Bill, which would merge tertiary education financing bodies and introduce a means-testing system for student support based on household income and financial need.
The National Assembly's Departmental Committee on Education is reviewing four education reform Bills aimed at restructuring student funding and strengthening governance in learning institutions. A key proposal is the Tertiary Education Placement and Funding Bill, which seeks to merge the Higher Education Loans Board, Universities Fund Board, and TVET Funding Board into a single Tertiary Education Funding Authority.
Kenyan social media users have launched a campaign on X documenting President William Ruto's unfulfilled public promises spanning years of campaign trails, church services, and official addresses, from infrastructure projects to socio-economic reforms and political appointments.
President William Ruto announced that changes to the university funding model are underway to fully fund all students who qualify for higher education. Meanwhile, students applying for funding through the existing system continue to face technical difficulties accessing KUCCPS and HELB portals, with some unable to revise their course choices.
President William Ruto reaffirmed the Government's commitment to making education and technology central to Kenya's transformation, noting the country's strong performance at the 2026 Global Huawei ICT Competition demonstrates Kenya is emerging as Africa's technology hub. Kenya's Cloud Track Team won the Grand Prize, marking the country's first win since joining the competition in 2019.
President William Ruto reaffirmed his commitment to providing full government funding for every university student, saying the government is refining its funding model to ensure access to higher education regardless of financial background. He acknowledged public concerns about how the government will finance the plan, arguing that investing in education is essential for Kenya's development.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission has advertised a vacancy for Commission Secretary and Chief Executive Officer on a four-year renewable contract. Applicants must be Kenyan citizens with a university degree and at least five years of management experience, preferably in electoral matters, finance, governance, public administration, law or political science.
President Ruto's Student-Centred Funding Model, introduced in September 2023 to address underfunding at public universities, is now facing chronic funding deficits as billions of shillings for scholarships, loans, and capitation remain unfunded. The government is preparing another overhaul of university financing after successive funding formulas have all been underfunded.
President William Ruto has announced a new plan to provide full government funding to every student admitted to a public university or college regardless of financial background. The proposal, presented as amendments before Parliament, marks the fourth shift in university financing under his administration in less than four years, following the Differentiated Unit Cost model and variations of the Student-Centred Funding Model.