- This also comes amid pleas from members of parliament who wanted to know if varsity managers could allow students to sit exams.
- Hours later, the board tweeted that they had made disbursements to a number of applicants.
Image: WILFRED NYANGARESI
The Higher Education Loans board has bowed to pressure to release the delayed disbursement for university students.
The students have not received their loans several months after the application.
Last Friday Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, threatened to mobilise them into demonstrations this week.
In the viral clip, Owino issued HELB and the National Treasury a seven-day ultimatum to release the funds.
“We have decided that on Thursday we shall hold a mother of all demonstrations in this country, and it is better imagined than experienced because all roads will be closed,” Owino said.
“Therefore I urge all students in the nation to mobilise themselves in large numbers to ensure this demonstration is a success, the demonstrations will be peaceful,” he added.
Hours later, the board tweeted that they had made disbursements to a number of applicants.
“Tangazo! Tangazo! The following tuition batches have been disbursed to your institutions, 003823, 003819, 003874, 003851,003857, and 003875,” the tweet read.
HELB's action comes amid pleas from MPs who wanted to know if varsities could allow students to sit for exams.
Migori Woman rep Pamela Odhiambo said lack of fees payment occasioned by delayed HELB disbursement was not the students fault.
Odhiambo inquired if university education Principal Secretary Simon Nabukwesi could engage Vice-chancellors to be lenient with the students.
However Nabukwesi speaking during the submissions of the budget policy statement said this was untenable.
He said universities function differently and it would take time to convince all Vcs' to allow the students to sit the exams.
“We acknowledge that the numbers have been going up but talking to each university management asking them to wait for a little before the funds are disbursed will not be easy,” he said.
HELB finance manager Mary Wachira called on Treasury to allocate the funds in the first half of the year, between January and June.
She added that the funding is inadequate and that most students miss out on the money.
“We need about Sh3 billion just to allocate them the minimum amount, the amount is too low compared to the 200,000 required by the students per year,” she said.
HELB funds needy students between Sh35,000 and Sh60,000 per year, the amount is subject to the scrutiny of their background.