Education Cabinet Secretary Julius OgambaThe government has disbursed a total of Sh3.32 billion for upkeep for first and second-year students during the 2024/2025 Academic Year, Education CS Julius Ogamba has announced.
Ogamba noted that the disbursements were made through the Higher Education Loans Board and were made by January 31, 2025
“The upkeep loans, which are a critical component for fostering student welfare, range from Sh40,000 to Sh60,000 per student,” the CS said in a statement.
Ogamba said the latest disbursements were part of the funds that had already been appropriated in July 2024, in the context of the current Financial Year's budgetary and appropriation framework.
By mid-January, thousands of students enrolled in universities and TVET institutions under the New Funding Model of the Higher Education Loans Board (Helb) were yet to receive their upkeep and tuition loans.
President William Ruto unveiled the New Higher Education Funding Model on May 3, 2023, aiming to assist every Kenyan student based on their level of need.
Most students under this model are currently in their first year and are still completing their first semester.
The government reverted to the old funding model to send the money to the students' accounts, pending the outcome of a court case.
Helb on Monday indicated that it had resorted to the old model to ensure that students are well taken care of even as a case goes on in court.
Third and fourth-year students received their money in December last year and January.
The government disbursed money for university students' upkeep to avert a crisis, even as it awaits the outcome of an appeal it has lodged against a ruling that declared the new funding model unlawful.
High Court Judge Chacha Mwita quashed the new model, finding that it is discriminatory as it introduces classes based on perceived financial ability, discrimination among students based on the type of school a student attended—whether private or public—and introduces age as a factor in accessing funding.
The Court of Appeal has since certified as urgent an appeal by the government seeking the restoration of the new model, which was quashed in December.
