- On July 24, HELB added that they will communicate on the official opening of subsequent loan applications in due course.
- The blog post also went on to state conditions in which a student will be eligible to request and get the loan.
The Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) has announced that it has not opened the loan application portal for first year students joining the university in Septermber 2023.
Through its official Facebook account, HELB flagged a blog post by Education Highlights written and updated on July 23 that was purporting their portal is open for 2023/2024 registration and loan application.
“Beware of fake news, Always get reliable information from our official channels,” HELB said in a post on July 10.
On July 24, HELB added that they will communicate on the official opening of subsequent loan applications in due course.
“HELB shall officially communicate on the opening of subsequent loan applications in due course. Applicants will be allowed adequate time to make their applications.”
The Education Highlights blog post had claimed that the HELB had created a portal for first year undergraduate students for the 2023/24 academic year.
“In addition to those who have been placed through the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS), applications are now being accepted from students participating in self-sponsored programs at private and public universities in Kenya and the East African Community,” the blog post read.
The blog post also went on to state conditions in which a student will be eligible to request and get the loan, including documents needed by the applicant, available HELB desks at Huduma Centers and the amount one expects to receive if successful in the application.
“Loans for undergraduate students at universities might range from Sh40,000 to Sh60,000. While self-sponsored students have their tuition fees deposited directly to the university once a year, students placed through Kenya University and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) split the loan amount between their tuition and upkeep expenditures,” the blog post continued.
The Star has looked into an article published by the Education Highlights blog claiming that the HELB portal is open for the 2023/2024 loan applicant and found it to be false.
This fact check was published by The Star with support from Code for Africa’s PesaCheck and African Fact-Checking Alliance.