On Thursday, July 6, a section of university students waiting for the High Education Loans Board (HELB) disbursements was dealt a blow after a change in their application status.
The affected students, majorly first years, complained after their application status was suddenly changed from verification to allocation.
HELB, in a statement, noted that due to financial difficulties experienced by the institution, they were unable to make the disbursement to all students for the 2022/2023 financial year.
“We regret that your Financial Year 2022/23 application will not be funded due to budgetary constraints. Apply for the 2023/24 subsequent application once we open,” read the statement in part.
An official from HELB who spoke to Kenyans.co.ke on condition of anonymity assured that first years who had missed the first round of applications will have a chance to apply for funding in the 2023/2024 Financial Year.
“We received applications from students who missed out. Everything was verified but unfortunately due to financial constraints, were unable to help them.
“As soon as we open the application, they do not have to apply afresh. They will apply as subsequent applicants,” he explained noting that the board will provide the applicants with a USSD code to facilitate their mobile applications.
The HELB official explained that continuing students had nothing to worry about because they will receive their disbursement on time.
“We financed almost 100 per cent of continuing students since we had to prioritise the lot. Our reasoning was that the students were already in session and therefore largely depended on the loan,” he explained.
The disruption came two months before universities adopted a new funding model proposed by President William Ruto’s government.
According to the Ministry of Education, the first-year students joining university in September 2023 will be funded through scholarships and loans.
Students receiving government funding will be categorised as; vulnerable, less vulnerable and able.
Vulnerable students will receive 100 per cent funding in the form of scholarships while the less vulnerable will receive a 53 per cent scholarship and 30 per cent funding in the form of loans.
