The Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) has issued a warning to the 2024 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) candidates regarding misleading information on their loan accounts. The alert comes as thousands of students prepare to access higher education financing.
In a recent statement, HELB urged all prospective and current students to exercise extreme caution against individuals spreading false information about the board's services and application processes.
The loans board advised beneficiaries to rely exclusively on its official channels for all accurate and secure communication. This includes verifying any information through HELB's official website, verified social media platforms, or designated customer service hotlines.
"Beware of scammers spreading false information! Always rely on our official channels for accurate and secure communication," the board warned.
The board flagged the notice to all 2024 KCSE candidates, which it indicated was fake.
The flagged post warned all the KCSE candidates not to attempt to create HELB Portal loan accounts during this period.
It also stated that a premature loan application could lead to complications affecting the loan processing until a specific period was announced.
“If you have already created an account, kindly refrain from proceeding further. Premature application may lead to serious complications, as most of you do not meet the full application requirements,” the fake notice had claimed.
This misinformation came after the board announced on July 3 the 72-hour portal closure for the 2025/2026 loan application.
The board revealed that the Higher Education Financing Portal was undergoing maintenance.
"The Higher Education Financing Portal is under maintenance to improve service. Downtime will last at least 72 hours," HELB said in a statement.
It added that the closure will affect both first-time applicants and those submitting subsequent applications as the portal undergoes maintenance to improve service delivery.
