The Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) was on Monday, January 22, forced to respond after claims that hackers had accessed funds meant for students surfaced online.
In a viral post, it was claimed that the hackers had gained control of over 5,000 student accounts.
This was three days after the Treasury released Ksh10 billion to cover scholarships and loans for first-year students in public universities.
According to a directive from Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu, the money was released under the New Higher Education Funding Model.
HELB is now assuring Kenyans that the funds are secure with every beneficiary expected to receive their allocated amount.
“Disregard the false HELB message claiming a hack on batch numbers! Your funds are safe,” the board issued a statement.
University students were also told that there was no need to rush to Huduma Centres to confirm the security of their accounts.
In the now flagged post, students were warned that all those who received payment text from HELB to visit Huduma Centres with their national identity cards.
The post claimed that although the hackers had accessed the accounts, they were having trouble withdrawing the funds.
Under the new funding model that allocates money to students according to their level of need, President William Ruto’s government has already released Ksh23 billion towards the program.
To access the funds, students must have been placed in higher learning institutions by the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS).
Additionally, they must apply for the funds through the Higher Education Financing (HEF) portal.
