NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 31 – The Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) will commence disbursement of loans for first-year university students on August 15,ahead of the reopening of universities, the Ministry of Education has announced.
In a statement on Thursday, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba said the government had facilitated both HELB and the Universities Fund to release funds for scholarships and loans to support students in the upcoming academic year.
“These funds will be released in phases to ensure a smooth transition into university and TVET colleges and help students settle into their academic journey without interruption,” Ogamba stated.
The CS confirmed that the Universities Fund had already begun disbursing the first-quarter scholarship funds for the 2025/2026 financial year to public universities.
According to the ministry, 129,403 university students and 60,976 TVET trainees from the 2024 KCSE cohort have successfully applied for loans and scholarships under the Student-Centred Funding Model (SCFM).
Applications remain open until August 31.
HELB and the Universities Fund are targeting to support 201,695 first-year university students, over 237,000 TVET trainees, and 257,523 continuing students in 2025.
In a bid to ensure no student is left behind, the government has increased HELB’s annual funding by Sh5 billion, from Sh36 billion to Sh41 billion.
The Sh41 billion allocation includes Sh13 billion already released for tuition and upkeep, an Sh16.9 billion allocated to the Universities Fund for scholarships.
“The Ministry remains committed to ensuring that no eligible student is left behind due to financial constraints,” Ogamba said.
