Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba. /EDUMINThe Ministry of Education has confirmed that the disbursement of Higher Education Loans Board (Helb) loans for first-year university students will begin on August 15.
In a press statement issued on July 31, Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said that to ensure a smooth transition into academic life and to help students settle without disruption, the funds will be released to coincide with the reopening of universities and technical colleges.
“The disbursement of Helb loans for first-year university students will begin on August 15, 2025, in line with the reopening of universities,” the statement read.
“These funds will be released in phases to ensure a smooth transition into University/TVET College and to help students settle into their academic journey without interruption.”
Ogamba said the Universities Fund has already begun disbursing first-quarter scholarship funds for the 2025-26 financial year to all public universities.
As of July 31, a total of 129,403 university students and 60,976 TVET trainees had submitted applications for scholarships and loans under the Student-Centred Funding Model (SCFM).
The portal remains open for the 2024 KCSE cohort placed by KUCCPS until August 31, 2025.
"WE encourage all eligible students who have not applied to do before the deadline date," Ogamba said.
This academic year, the government expects to support 201,695 first-year university students and over 237,000 TVET trainees, in addition to the 257,523 continuing students.
Submitted applications so far account for 64 per cent of university applicants and 51 per cent of those expected for the September TVET intake.
“To ensure no student is left behind,” Ogamba said, “the government has increased Helb’s annual funding from Sh36 billion to Sh41 billion, a significant boost of Sh5 billion.”
Out of this, Sh13 billion has already been released to support tuition and upkeep for students, while Sh16.9 billion has been allocated to the Universities Fund for scholarships.
The Ministry said it remains committed to ensuring that no eligible student is left behind due to financial constraints.
The pledge for timely disbursement of the funds demonstrates the government's renewed commitment to support access to higher education, coming just days after it announced the slashing of university fees across all programmes in all public universities.
