Senator demands reopening of HELB loan application portal

Embu Senator Alexander Mundigi has raised concern in the Senate over the sudden closure of the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) loan application system, saying the move has locked out many eligible students.

The Senator told the House on Wednesday, September 24, that the premature shutdown of the portal had mainly affected students who had just received their National Identification (ID) cards.

He called on the Standing Committee on Education to explain why the system was closed at such a critical time and demanded that it be reopened for at least 14 more days.

“The Education Committee should give us a clear strategy to ensure the HELB application process is continuous, predictable, accessible, and fair for all students in the future. System failures should not jeopardize our students’ education,” Senator Mundigi said.

The government has, however, assured students that funding for higher education remains secure. HELB Chief Executive Officer Geoffrey Monari said the agency is financially stable and can meet the needs of all university and TVET students.

“Currently, we don’t have any problem; as we go into the next semester, we will have gotten money through supplementary estimates to cater for any shortfall because now we know the number of students. We are on track,” Monari stated.

According to HELB, Sh26.1 billion has already been disbursed to university students and Sh7.9 billion to TVET trainees in the 2024/2025 cycle.

Despite the assurances, some students have expressed frustration over delays.
“Students are not allowed into class without a fee card. Starting this week, we go to register, but we’ve been told that without money, we won’t sit exams,” said Isaac Muhia, a TVET student at P.C. Kinyanjui.

Another student, Antony Okeyo from Egerton University, added: “I applied for HELB in my first academic year; I didn’t receive the semester-one loan. The government scholarship has left my account with a balance of Sh233,000. With the portal closing in a week, this will force me to be discontinued.”

Monari maintained that no student will be locked out of classes because of loan disbursement delays.
“We have given assurance to universities that money will be paid. Students should not be sent home or miss exams because HELB has not paid,” he said.

To improve fairness, HELB has eliminated banding in loan allocations. The board is also exploring new financing methods, including issuing a social bond to support student funding.

Monari revealed that only about 67% of past loan recipients are repaying their loans, with 33% defaulting.
“People should come forward and start repaying their loans. Last year we received Sh5 billion, which we used to support 499,000 university students and 114,000 TVET students,” he noted.