Senators demand reopening of HELB portal to allow more students to apply

The Higher Education Loans Board (Helb) offices in Nairobi. (Photo: Handout)

By Lucy Mumbi
Thursday, September 25, 2025

Embu Senator Alexander Mundigi termed the premature closure of the portal as ill-timed, saying it has disadvantaged learners who had only recently acquired their ID cards.

Senators have demanded the reopening of the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) application portal, which closed on September 14, arguing that the move has unfairly locked out many eligible students.

Embu Senator Alexander Mundigi termed the premature closure of the portal as ill-timed, saying it has disadvantaged learners who had only recently acquired their National Identification (ID) cards.

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Speaking in the Senate, Mundigi sought a statement from the Standing Committee on Education to explain the circumstances surrounding the closure at such a critical period. He insisted that the system should be reopened for at least 14 more days to give students who were left out an opportunity to apply.

“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 jeopardise our students’ education. We must ensure a reliable and equitable process for education financing,” Mundigi said.

The debate comes against the backdrop of a government directive that extended the deadline for first-year university and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) students to September 14, 2025. Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said the extension was meant to ensure inclusivity and that no student is left behind.

He announced that the Universities Fund and the Higher Education Loans Board had disbursed a total of Sh23.16 billion in financial support to 802,159 University and TVET students across the country.

HELB Chief Executive Officer Geoffrey Monari also assured students and institutions that the agency was financially stable and on track to meet all obligations.

“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 said.

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 raised concerns over delays that continue to disrupt their learning.

“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,” a TVET student at P.C. Kinyanjui said.

Another student, Antony Okeyo from Egerton University, shared his frustration, stating, “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, this will force me to be discontinued.”

Monari dismissed fears that students would be locked out of class, saying universities had been assured of disbursements.

“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 scrapped the banding system that previously grouped applicants and is now exploring new financing models, including issuing a social bond to support student funding. Monari revealed that repayment remains a challenge, with only about 67 per cent of beneficiaries servicing their loans while 33 per cent have defaulted.