The Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) Chief Executive Officer, Geoffrey Monari, has warned university and college students against missing classes, stating that their attendance is crucial in determining their loan disbursement.
Speaking on Tuesday morning during an interview on Spice FM, Monari stated that the disbursement of the loans to students was subject to strict verification that could see the board reclaim funds disbursed to students who fail to attend classes.
He noted that the loans board also reclaims money erroneously disbursed to defunct or wrong student accounts, adding that such occasions are usually addressed promptly when a student makes a follow-up.
To mitigate the occurrence of such incidents, Monari urged learners to always ensure their bank accounts are active and the mobile money transfer information is correct for easy and fast disbursement.
Monari's clarification stems from concerns raised by a section of university and college students who expressed disappointment over the board's delay in disbursing their upkeep.
While acknowledging the delays, the HELB CEO revealed that the board was in the process of addressing such issues to ensure timely disbursement to students who have yet to receive their funds.
“We will look at the special cases because there are a few cases that were not paid, but we are working towards that," the HELB CEO affirmed.
"However, you should know that we’re giving a loan, so we must ensure the student is in class and that the details match. A lot of due diligence is done before disbursing the loan," he added.
Monari went ahead to urge students who have yet to receive their upkeep to reach out to HELB directly through its official contacts or tag the board on its social media platforms.
He further disclosed that HELB had so far disbursed Ksh21 billion to students for the first semester, with Ksh18 billion released to university students and Ksh3 billion to students in colleges.
During the interview, Monari revealed that the government had developed a system in which all institutions, whether universities or colleges, can see how much a student has received from HELB.
Meanwhile, the HELB CEO's statement comes hardly one and a half months after the loans board announced the disbursement of funds to university and college students for the first semester.
The Ministry of Education, in a notice on August 15, revealed that the government had increased allocation to HELB from initial Ksh36 billion in the previous financial year to Ksh41 billion in the 2025/2026 financial period.
In the notice signed by Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba, the Ministry noted that the increase in allocation was part of the government's efforts to ensure no student is left behind due to financial constraints.
