Machogu's Directive to Universities After Disbursing Ksh 2.7B HELB Funds

Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu chairs a delegation from Teach For Kenya at the Ministry's offices in Nairobi on January 12, 2023.
Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu chairs a delegation from Teach For Kenya at the Ministry's offices in Nairobi on January 12, 2023.
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Edumin

Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu directed universities to allow students who were beneficiaries of bursaries and the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) to sit their end-semester examinations after Ksh 2.7 billion was released by Treasury.

In a statement dated Friday, February 3, the CS indicated that the funds had been released to facilitate the students to pay their tuition fee - a requirement for exam registration.

He acknowledged that 180,000 students would benefit from the money released by the National Treasury.

The CS assured that no students who were beneficiaries of the government funding would miss out on the exams.

Kenyans waiting for service at Helb offices
A photo of Kenyans waiting for service at HELB offices.
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HELB

"The Ministry of Education is aware that most government-sponsored students in our public and private universities are preparing to sit their end-of-semester examinations for the 2022/2023 academic calendar.

"I direct all universities to ensure that all beneficiaries of government loans and bursaries are given the opportunity to sit their end-of-semester examinations as scheduled," read the statement in part.

 

Further, The CS also called on the learners to be patient as the money is disbursed to their schools and accounts.

Machogu's announcement came hours after students had begun protests outside Treasury as many lamented that they would miss out on the examinations set to commence in the coming weeks.

Other students had also expressed fear that they would miss out on their graduation, given that some were sitting their final examination of their four-year study.

HELB, on the other hand, requested that the students be patient, as many had questioned why they had not released the funds for the semester on time.

"We kindly apologize for that long delay and appreciate the level of your patience while waiting for your loan to be paid. We will communicate soon via SMS," HELB responded to queries by students.

Notably, President William Ruto had hinted at the merger of HELB and other bodies to make the loan disbursement more efficient, promising to need the days witnessed in recent years.

“To bridge the current higher education funding gap of up to 45 per cent, the government will establish the National Skill and Funding Council that amalgamates HELB, TVET, and University Funding Board.

“This immediately doubles the current Higher Education Loans Board funding from Sh11 billion to Sh22 billion and eliminates interest on Helb loans," Ruto stated then.

President William Ruto chairing a cabinet meeting at State House on January 31, 2023.
President William Ruto chairing a cabinet meeting at State House on January 31, 2023.
William Ruto