• The call comes on the same day President William Ruto assured that the Higher Education Loans Board was given the funds a fortnight ago.
• But KUSO said in a statement that the funds are yet to hit their accounts and lamented over the hardship the delay has caused 'comrades'.
Image: FILE
University student leaders have called for demonstrations every Friday to protest the delayed disbursement of HELB loans.
The call comes on the same day President William Ruto assured that the Higher Education Loans Board was given the funds a fortnight ago.
"We have allocated enough money in the budget in the last two weeks. You now have money for HELB so that you can continue with your education without difficulties," Ruto said.
He spoke at Kisii National Polytechnic Thursday afternoon on the first of his three-day tour of Kisii County.
But the Kenya University Student Organisation said in a statement that the funds are yet to hit their accounts and lamented over the hardship the delay has caused 'comrades'.
"Students no longer eat chicken but eat like and with chicken," KUSO President Antony Manyara said.
He said strides have been following continuous engagements with relevant authorities but the all-important matter of timely HELB loans’ disbursement remains a thorny issue.
Manyara said that the bodies concerned have been "carelessly shifting blame from office to office while students mercilessly suffer."
He said the student body held a meeting on Thursday and resolved to hit the streets to prompt concerned offices to release the monies.
"A final reminder be issued to HELB officers and concerned government Ministries that the HELB loan is the lifeline of students’ survival in all institutions of higher learning and its delay is akin to closing down universities or starving students with the intention of killing them," Manyara said.
He told students, parents and guardians that having exhausted all diplomatic and peaceful avenues, to have the funds released, they have resorted to street protests to voice their concerns.
"We are left with no other option except to invoke the ruthless comrades’ power," he said.
"It was agreed that an invitation be sent to all students, parents, guardians and even lecturers to join in weekly nationwide students’ demonstrations every Friday until HELB loans are deposited to students’ accounts."
Helb told MPs on Wednesday that it has no funds to loan some 140,000 students.
The agency said Treasury is yet to release Sh5.7 billion for onward disbursement and as such, students will have to wait longer for the funds.
“Currently we have 140,000 students in Tvets and universities that we have not been able to fund to the tune of Sh5.7 billion because we have run out of the budget that we had presented to Treasury of Sh4.5 billion,” Helb chief executive Charles Ringera told MPs.
The delay in the funds has forced parents to seek alternatives to foot tuition and accommodation fees for their children.
Helb loans are the lifeline for thousands of students from poor families who require financial support to pursue higher education.
Helb said that last year, it failed to fund the education of some 75,000 students after Treasury delayed disbursements of Sh3 billion.