The government has released Sh3.9 billion in scholarships for first-year students in public universities, Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu has announced.

Machogu said the amount is the first tranche of financing to cover scholarships for Government-sponsored first-year students in public universities under the New Higher Education Funding Model.

“Beneficiaries of the scholarships are those who successfully made their applications through the Higher Education Financing portal (www.hef.co.ke) that was launched on August 31, 2023,” he said in a statement.

A total of 115,892 first-year students successfully applied for scholarships by November 29, 2023.

The Universities Fund will disburse the Sh3.9 Billion directly to individual universities for the successful applicants to cover their tuition fees based on the student’s individual needs under the New Funding Model.

resolved,” he added.

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The CS said all universities will receive the scholarship portions for their respective students on December 4, 2023.

“The release of the scholarship amount brings to Sh9.2 Billion the amount of money the Government has so far released to first-year students under the New Higher Education Funding Model that President William Ruto launched on May 31, 2023,” Machogu said.

Early this month, the Government, through the Higher Education Loans Board, disbursed Sh5.3 million for loans to first-year students.

Machogu said the allocation of funds to students was based on a reliable scientific method, Means Testing Instrument (MTI), which determined the student’s level of financial need to ensure they are supported adequately.

First-year students who sat the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education Examination in 2022 are the first cohort to benefit from the new model.

“The Ministry of Education wishes to express the Government’s unwavering commitment to promoting access to university education, and providing financial support to all deserving students,” Machogu added.

Under the new model, students falling under the vulnerable and extremely needy band will qualify for 100 per cent government funding.

Funding for their studies will be through scholarships and loans.

Those from needy and less needy households will get 93 per cent of government funding, with the students bearing 7 per cent of the tuition costs.

Needy students joining universities will receive government scholarships of up to a maximum of 53 per cent and loans of up to 40 per cent.

Their households will only pay for seven per cent of the cost of their university education.

First year students to start receiving Helb loans from November 7

CS Machogu says students should ensure their bank details are correct and up to date.

Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu has said that First Year students in institutions of higher learning will start receiving funds on Tuesday, November 7, 2023.

Machogu said that the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) has finalized the processing of loans for First Year students in universities and technical and vocational education and training (TVETs) under the New Higher Education Funding Model.

“The Ministry wishes to inform successful applicants that the funds will be disbursed to their respective universities and student accounts starting November 7,” the CS said in a statement.

He urged students to ensure that their bank details, as provided in the application for the loans, are correct and up-to-date.

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Students have been threatening to stage countrywide demonstrations to push for the release of funds.

A section of student leaders drawn from various universities and TVETs last week decried what they described as untold suffering for thousands of vulnerable first-year students who are yet to receive funds under the new funding model two months after they reported to school.

On Thursday, Machakos University students made good on this threat and took to the streets to protest the delay.

Police were forced to lob teargas canisters to disperse the demonstrating students and restore order in Machakos town.

Similarly, the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU), Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), and Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) have been demanding the immediate release of capitation for First Years in universities to save them from imminent collapse.

They raised concerns over the privatization and commercialization of education in the wake of delayed funding to public learning institutions, inadequacy, and irregular disbursements of funds in the sector.

In a joint statement presented last week by UASU Secretary General, Dr Constantine Wasonga, the unions said the government has elaborate and well-documented financing of education policies and strategies, but implementing these macro-policies.

“Delays in funding disbursement have led to low participation rates, the registration of courses, and students’ inability to attend classes on time.

“It is important to ensure that the education calendar is aligned to the fiscal year in addition to the introduction of an equity funding model at all levels of education with the aim of enhancing equitable access to quality and inclusive education,” Wasonga said.

Wasonga said the government must disburse funds allocated for education in a consistent and timely manner to avoid financial crises in learning institutions.

Public universities and colleges are facing a major financial crisis following the government’s delay to release funds for new students.
Almost three months since public universities, technical, vocational education and training institutions (TVETs) and other middle level colleges were ordered to admit students without any fees, the Ministry of Education through the Universities Fund and the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), is yet to release the money.
Managements of public universities and colleges are now grappling with the challenge of keeping the more than 275,000 students in their institutions for the last three months without money for operations.
Of this figure, over 175,000 are undergraduate students, with an additional 70,000 enrolled in TVET programmes who were scheduled to benefit from the loans, which fall under the Old Higher Education Funding Model (OFM).

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Besides struggling to source for funds for their operations, some of the 39 public universities and several TVETs have not paid their lecturers for the last three months, a situation that has prompted them to consider going on strike.
Yesterday, Prof Daniel Njiru, the Vice Chancellor of Embu University, who is also the chairman of the Vice Chancellors’ Committee, said the directive to admit students without financial backing had left them struggling to maintain their operations.

“Some of us have been forced to divert funds from parallel degree programmes to finance our operations. Thankfully, the government has released some funds for second, third and fourth years which we have been relying on,” Prof Njiru told People Daily.

Prof Njiru, like his colleagues, has found himself in a Catch 22 situation – whether to ignore the government’s directive and send students home for fees or devise ways of surviving against all odds.
“It is a government policy that we cannot contravene. So we have to keep the leaners with us as we continue praying that the government will release the funds soonest,” says Prof Njiru.
The Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) Secretary General Dr Constantine Wesonga wondered why the government sent learners to universities without providing funds to the institutions.
“The situation is dire and unless the government moves with speed to address it, the lecturers will not take it lightly. Even our students are becoming restless and sooner than later, we may start witnessing unrest in some institutions,” he warned.
The Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) warned that operations in the institutions were almost grinding to a halt unless urgent measures are taken to address the situation.
KUSU Secretary General Dr Charles Mukhwaya said besides the effects on staff emoluments, many students are not turning up in lecture halls.
“We have been engaging respective university councils with a view to coming up with a holistic solution to the problem. Thousands of students are not attending lectures due to the funding issue. A hungry person cannot attend classes,” Dr Mukhwaya said.
It has been established that tension was rising among the students who accuse the government of failing to release funds to enable them secure accommodation, food, transport, stationery and other basic needs.
Yesterday, HELB Chief Executive Officer Charles Ringera attributed the delay in the disbursement of funds to lack of resources.
“Probably by next week things could be okay. Our main problem has been lack of money, but once Parliament approves the supplementary budget sought by the National Treasury, we will sort out the universities,” Ringera said.

Last week, National Treasury Cabinet Secretary Prof Njuguna Ndung’u sought Parliament’s approval of an additional Sh187 billion to fund government expenditure in the 2023/24 financial cycle.
Out of the total, Prof Ndung’u has allocated Sh29.31 billion to cater for scholarships for first year students in universities and colleges.
In July, President William Ruto’s government rolled out a new funding model, the Variable Scholarships and Loan Funding for universities and Technical, Vocational Education and Training Institutes.
Under the new model, students from vulnerable and extremely needy households were to receive 100 per cent funding while the needy and less needy were to get 93 per cent government funding with parents/guardians meeting the remaining seven per cent.

The new model, that combines scholarships and student loans, which will be determined by an individual’s level of need as well as the cost of the programme, is expected to cost Sh39.4 billion for the 2023/24 financial year.
HELB is expected to handle the loan component while the Universities Fund will grant the scholarships.
But a few days before the institutions admitted learners, Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu directed all public universities, colleges and TVETS to admit first year students and trainees from the 2022 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE).
“Universities and colleges shall admit all students from the 2022 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education cohort as placed by the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service, pending the processing of their applications for funding,” Machogu’s circular stated.
When he appeared before the National Assembly’s Education Committee, Machogu promised the lawmakers that no student would be dismissed for lack of funds.
Moreover, the CS promised that universities and colleges would receive the necessary funds within the first week of September to ensure admission of first-year students.
Tension is building in most of the public universities and TVETS, with students threatening to take matters into their own hands should the government fail to disburse the funds immediately.
Severely affected are students from the vulnerable, extremely needy and needy categories of the funding model, who had expected to use the funds from HELB to meet their basic needs such as food, accommodation, stationery and transport.

Students from vulnerable families say they have defaulted on their rents, are being forced to skip meals and have to do everything possible to survive under the harsh conditions.

Under the current arrangement, all students cater for their accommodation (whether inside or outside the institution), buy meals, stationery, equipment for technical and science subjects and other basic items.
Student leaders, who attended a stakeholders forum in Nairobi, threatened to stage countrywide protests to call for immediate release of funds.

The students are also lamenting that the recent review of the new higher education funding model will have far-reaching effects on thousands of learners.

Early last month, students of Multimedia University in Rongai, Kajiado County, held a demonstration over the funds delay which they said had affected their studies and living conditions.

Last week, Technical University of Kenya (TUK) lecturers held a demonstration in Nairobi’s city centre to demand the release of funds to enable the university pay them their September and October salaries.

All parents with students in universities and colleges will have to pay fees as the government reviewed the new funding formula months after it was unveiled.

Contrary to the initial plan of lifting the burden from parents deemed incapable of financing their children’s higher education, all households will now foot part of the fees.

The Standard has established that the new funding formula has been altered a little to factor in scholarships, tuition fees, household contribution and upkeep for students.

It also emerged that the four students’ categories of vulnerable, extremely needy, needy and less needy as were proposed under the new formula, have been expanded to five and renamed’ bands.

In the reviewed formula, all students listed in the five bands will get a boom of between Sh40,000 to Sh60,000,graduated based on house-holds financial strength.

But by last evening, it emerged that all households will shoulder part of their children’s education cost, a marked departure from the initial plan.

The Standard established that the review was necessary as questions emerged over sustainability of the proposed formula unveiled by president William Ruto.

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Under the initial plan, the ‘vulnerable and extremely needy’ were exempted from any household costs as the government planned to cater for all the bills.

Only the ‘needy and less needy’ were to pay seven per cent towards university education with graduated percentages on scholarships and loans. This meant that students under ‘vulnerable’ category were to get 82 per cent in scholarships and 18per cent loans with zero per cent from households.

The ‘extremely needy’ were to get 70 per cent in scholarships and 30 per cent loans and were not required to pay anything out of pocket.

Those categorized as ‘needy’ were to receive government scholarships of up to 53 per cent and loans of up to 40 per cent with their households paying seven per cent of the cost.

While those categorised as ‘less needy’ will get government scholar-ships of up to 38 per cent and loans of up to 55 per cent with their house-holds paying seven per cent of the cost.

Higher Education Loans Board (Helb) chief executive Charles Ring-era said that under band one, (previously called vulnerable), students will receive 70 per cent scholarships and 25 per cent towards loans. Parents in these households will now pay five per cent of the fees cost.

Ringera said that students will also be given a boom of Sh60,000 to cater for their upkeep.

“This upkeep money will cater for meals, accommodation, books and stationery,” said Ringera.

Under category two,(previously extremely needy), students will get 60 per cent scholarships and 30 per cent loans. Parents will pay 10 per cent of the cost. The government will allocate each student in this category some Sh55,000 for upkeep.

And under band three,(previously needy),students will receive 50 per cent scholarships and 30 per cent loans. Parents will foot 20 per cent of the cost and the students here will receive Sh50,000 upkeep money.

Band four

Band four students are those who were previously named ‘less needy.’ These students will now receive 40 per cent scholarships and 30 per cent loans. Parents will shoulder 30 per cent of the cost and their children will get Sh45,000 for upkeep.

The new category introduced will now be called band five and will receive scholarships of 30 per cent and another 30 per cent for loans. House-holds will pay 40 per cent of the cost and students in this group will receive Sh40,000 for upkeep.

The details emerged as concern mounted over sustainability of the new funding plan as initially crafted.

Sources told the Standard that the initial funding plan’ may be too costly in the long run.

“You see the amount of money re-quired is too much and in the next five or 10 years to come, it may not be sustainable,” said a well-placed Ministry of Education official.

The insider said senior ministry officials and staff from the two funding institutions have been burning midnight oil to unlock the funding stalemate.

“Officers have been leaving Jogoo House offices late in the night, working tirelessly to unlock the funding plan,” said the insider.

By yesterday, some 116,532 university students and another 126,825 TVET students had submitted their applications for scholarships and loans.

Sources within government were however split on whether the two higher education funding institutions had completed categorisation of students to clear way for release of the money.

HELB and the Universities Fund (UF) sources told The Standard that categorisation of students is com-plete, with verification and categorisation of some 220,000 students already done.” We have done about 109,000 for universities and another 111,000 for TVETS,” said Ringera.

Details further reveal that respective boards of Helb and UF must also meet to approve release of the cash meant for loans and scholarships.

It was not clear when universities and colleges would finally receive the money.

The details emerged as public universities and colleges are quietly managing a deep financial crisis due to delayed funding by the State.

Vice Chancellors(VCs) who spoke to The Standard said they are managing crisis in the institutions, more than a month since they admitted thousands of students without a shilling.

The Higher Education Loans Board (Helb) has commenced disbursement of loans to continuing students at universities and technical and vocational institutions.

This comes months after the government issued a directive on the new method of funding higher education.

In a statement issued by Helb Chief Executive Officer,Charles Ringera, students’ upkeep funds will be channeled through learners’ bank accounts or the Helb mobile wallet.

“Over 175,000 undergraduate students and 70,000 TVET continuing students will receive funding under the Old Higher Education Funding Model(OFMO),”said the Helb chief.

The funds are expected to reflect from October 5,with the government urging universities and colleges to register students for learning.

For first-time students applying for government funding, the deadline remains October 7,2023,as earlier directed by Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu.

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They are required to apply for funding under the New Higher Education Funding Model(NFM) for both loans and scholarships.

Previously,before President William Ruto-led government introduced the new Helb model, each student under the government-sponsored programme at a university could receive between Sh40,000 and Sh60,000 per academic year.

However, the loan was disbursed in two instalments, with part of each instalment paid directly into the institution’s fee account and the remainder paid into the learner’s personal account.

Under the government’s recently unveiled funding formula for higher education. Helb is required to allocate loans to students on the basis of need.

The exact formula and criteria for identifying needy students remain unclear.

Public universities and institutions have also reviewed their tuition fees, with some institutions doubling them.

The increase in fees is likely to lock out bright but financially disadvantaged students from accessing higher education.

The Higher Education Loans Board has revoked 57 clearance certificates of its beneficiaries.

In a published notice, HELB however did not provide reasons as to why the certificates were revoked.

“This is to notify the public that the underlisted HELB clearance certificates have been revoked with immediate effect. For more information, please contact HELB,” reads the notice.

Clearance certificates are issued to HELB beneficiaries who have completed paying their loans or those who did not receive HELB loans.

For beneficiaries who are still repaying their loans as well as non-beneficiaries who need HELB clearance, they are issued with a compliance certificate. see list below.

Employees are required to submit the document to their employers to stop them from making monthly deductions from their salaries, for HELB repayment.

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Clearance certificates are obtained at the HELB offices upon completion of loan repayment free of charge.

However, non-beneficiaries are required to pay an application fee of Sh1,000.

For non-loanee compliance certificate of those who have never taken a loan is also issued free and is accessible online through the HELB portal.

Higher Education Loans Board Chief Executive Officer Charles Ringera has dismissed claims that the government will only fund 45,000 learners set to join universities for the 2023/2024 academic year.

Ringera said those who qualified to join universities will all benefit from government funding, but only 45,000 will get 100 percent funding.

“45,000 are the first two categories with 100 percent GOK funding, the rest will get 93 percent funding and family will contribute 7 percent,” Ringera told the Star in an interview on Friday.

The two categories of learners that will get full funding are the vulnerable and extremely needy.

On Thursday, Owino, through his social media account claimed that 800, 000 learners are set to join varsities this year but only 45, 000 will be funded.

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“The students who did their KCSE exams and are being admitted in different universities are around 800, 000. Of which the government’s intention is only to sponsor 45, 000 students. This means that over 750,000 students will not be sponsored,” Owino claimed.

Ringera dismissed this figure, clarifying that a total of 869,782 learners sat for last year’s KCSE examination.

He said only 173,127 scored the minimum entry grade for university which is a C+.

Of the 173,127  learners who qualified, only 140,107  applied and were placed into various programs across the public universities in the country.

Ringera urged learners to keep on applying for government funding through the Higher Education Fund website as the deadline draws closer.

The Cabinet has passed the removal of the national ID requirement for students applying for higher education loans.

This followed a cabinet meeting chaired by President William Ruto at the Kakamega State Lodge.

The Ministry of Education was directed jointly with all stakeholders to fast-track access to scholarships for all the eligible students who are due to report to institutions of higher learning next week.

Students applying for the loans were required to use an ID to access the loans portal but those who did not have them could use their birth certificates, this however came at a cost since the portal was slow to adopt it.

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Cabinet also approved the upgrading of 13 Technical and Vocational Colleges to National Polytechnic status.

Those elevated are Maasai Technical Training Institute, Kiambu Institute of Science and Technology, Rift Valley Institute of Science and Technology, Coast Institute of Technology, Sang’alo Institute of Science & Technology and the Bureti Technical Vocational College.

The government has slashed by over Sh5 billion the funds it allocates to the Higher Education Loans Board in a move that will see over 140,000 miss out of the state loans.

According to the board, over 140,000 students would miss out on the HELB loans caused by the budgetary cuts targeting various government ministries.

This came as the board noted that the number of defaulters were on the rise, a move that was affecting other beneficiaries of the education system.

  According to the board CEO Charles Ringera, over 500,000 students had applied for the loans but only 341,000 would benefit from the loans.

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He said the board received Sh14.8 billion which was Sh5.7 billion less than their budgetary demands meaning a reduction in the number of beneficiaries.

“Due to the budgetary cuts, the number of students seeking HELB loans will drop this year but we hope that the number will rise in the coming year,” he said.

He added that over 107,000 graduates had delayed in servicing their loans with the numbers rising around July of every year.

“Currently the repayment rates stand at 68 per cent but this board is keen to make sure we raise it to 76 per cent by the end of the year,” he said.

The CEO noted that universities across the country were facing a financial crunch which had affected their operations and service delivery.

He said they were working closely with counties and corporates in resource mobilisation as part of addressing the current financial crisis.

 Ringera was addressing the press in Naivasha after the launch of the HELB Mpesa app that empowers students to upkeep their portion of their loans.

He lauded Safaricom noting that the app would ease the process of receiving HELB loans and repayment for the students.

“Previously, students had to open accounts to access the loans but with the new partnership with Safaricom, things will be easier and faster,” he said.

Safaricom Chief Financial Officer Esther Waititu said the app could also be used to pay the HELB loans by the students.

Waititu termed the app as very secure, adding that the students would easily access the cash for their upkeep and to pay their fees.

“For years, students have suffered from seeking bank accounts to access their loans but under this app, the cash will be available on their mobile phones,” she said.

She was full of praise for the app noting that the students could easily get their statements and make their decisions faster.

The Higher Education Loans Board (Helb)has decried the more than Sh6.1 billion in budget cut from the exchequer, saying the cumulative slashes in the last two financial years, have affected its ability to effectively loan out to university learners.

As a result, coupled with unpredictable and often delayed disbursements by the National Treasury, Helb officials yesterday said an estimated 142,361 students are now affected and are at risk of losing out on such advances if the government doesn’t intervene in good time.

We continue to make an appeal that unutilized funds be made available if we are to address the shortfall,” said Helb’s Chief executive Charles Ringera, adding that cash crunch at the board has seen students in public universities and technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges miss State loans.

He was speaking during the launch of the Helb Mobile Wallet and Helb M-Pesa Mini App. In partnership with Safaricom, at this year’s universities consultative forum.

About 53 per cent of Helb budget is funded by Kenya’s exchequer and 47 per cent from loan recovery efforts, with the latter proving a contest for the institution.

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The education body, according to Ringera is now courting private sector institutions including foundations to raise enough cash in an effort to bridge the prevailing deficit.

We have since raised about Sh2.1 billion from these partners-about 40 of them, outside the treasury funding which has benefitted 55 students,” he stated.

The revolutionary HELB Mobile Wallet will see students receive student loans direct to their M-PESA account as well as withdraw funds, repay loans, apply for subsequent loans, view thelr loan status and access their statements all from an Android and iPhone app.

To date, Helb approximates that Sh147.5 billion has been disbursed in terms of students’ loans in the last 10 years.

And while the repayment process (from borrowing students) has been a challenge to the institution-at the rate of 50.11 percent, non-performing loans advanced to former university students as well as reduced Treasury allocation, has seen the firm’s ability to meet its obligation brutally limited.