By the end of this week, thousands of students who rely on government support through the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) will get all of their outstanding allocations, according to President William Ruto.
Speaking at PC Kinyanjui TTI in Dagoretti on the third day of his four-day working visit of Nairobi County, the President gave his word that he had concluded all governmental discussions and that the funds will be released by Friday.
Ruto stated that he had crucial talks with Felix Koskei, the head of public service, and Julius Ogamba, the cabinet secretary for education, during which they decided on a methodical methodology to guarantee the prompt transfer of funds.
At the same time, the Head of State issued a warning to those in charge of the disbursement, saying he would personally hold them accountable if they did not release the funds by Friday.
Ruto also admitted that the government has been having trouble allocating the cash, which made it hard for recipients to get their money.
In the past, university students have taken to the streets to protest the government’s inaction over the delay in transferring the monies to students.
As a result of a wave of protests by Kenyatta University students demanding the return of the cash, a portion of Thika Road was blocked off on February 3.
In protest of loan delays, the students blocked both sides of the busy roadway, rendering the area around the university unreachable.
This occurred when their University of Nairobi counterparts invaded the HELB headquarters at Anniversary Towers, demanding to know when they would receive their allotments.
For Kenyan students, HELB is essential to the funding of their higher education. Approximately 180,000 students from different universities are supported by HELB each year; a successful loan application receives between Ksh35,000 and Ksh60,000 annually.
