The Ministry of Education has announced the allocation of Ksh.41 billion to the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) for the 2025/2026 academic year, up from Ksh.36 billion.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba, in a statement said the increase is part of the government’s efforts to ensure that “no student is left behind” due to financial constraints.
The ministry confirmed that both HELB and the Universities Fund have been facilitated to begin disbursement of funds to universities and students.
“These funds will be released in phases to ensure a smooth transition into university and TVET colleges and help students settle into their academic journey without interruption,” Ogamba stated
CS Ogamba said that HELB loans for first-year university students will be disbursed starting August 15, 2025, in line with the reopening of universities.
As of July 31st, the ministry said a total of 129,403 university students and 60,976 TVET trainees had submitted their applications under the Student-Centred Funding Model (SCFM).
Meanwhile, Higher Education Principal Secretary Beatrice Inyangala has directed all public universities to revise fees for academic programmes downward, effective September 1.
Inyangala issued the directive in a letter addressed to Vice Chancellors and Principals of Constituent Colleges on Wednesday.
Inyangala said the revision followed extensive consultations with stakeholders, including students and their families.
She added that the rationalization of public university fees aligns with the Student-Centred Funding Model introduced by President William Ruto’s administration in May 2023.
“In direct response to concerns raised by students and their families, the Government has lowered fees payable by students across all academic programmes,” the PS stated in the letter, which was copied to Head of Public Service Felix Koskei and circulated to the media on Thursday.
“All public universities are further directed to update their admissions and finance portals to reflect the revised fees of academic programmes,” the Education PS directed.
This as today Embakasi central Member of Parliament, Benjamin Gathiru alias Mejja Donk has strongly criticized the government for seeking to reduce funding for education,
Speaking at Komarock while handing over over 11 million shillings to support students, universities and colleges, Gathiru has blasted the government for spending a lot of money on meaningless projects instead of prioritizing education.
He added that reducing funding for education will cripple the sector, as many families in the Country rely on the funds to educate their children