The Ministry of Education has urged universities to admit first-year students as the government works to finalise the disbursement of Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) funds.
The directive comes as new university students continue to express frustration over delays in receiving their HELB funds at the beginning of the new academic year.
Higher Education Principal Secretary Beatrice Inyangala said the government is currently finalising the processing of the funds and assured students that the money would soon be released.
Speaking during a consultative meeting with university vice chancellors on Tuesday, September 1, Inyangala asked students to remain patient as the process is completed.
“The process is being finalised, and once it is finalised, we will be able to release the funds,” she said.
The delays have seen several students seek assistance from HELB as they wait for their loans and other financial support.
However, HELB has already started releasing funds to some students as of September 1, although a significant number are yet to receive their disbursements.
Students in batch 7046 are among those whose funds have been released. HELB has advised them to allow up to 48 hours for the money to become accessible.
The Board has also urged students to remain calm as it continues processing and releasing funds amid the start of the new academic year.
Meanwhile, Inyangala directed universities to admit first-year students even as the government prepares to introduce a proposed new higher education funding system.
She said universities should assist needy and vulnerable students as they settle into their studies while Parliament considers the proposed legislation.
“The universities are supporting students who are very needy and vulnerable to settle down. The students should join universities as we wait the processing of the Bill,” Inyangala said.
The Tertiary Education, Placement and Funding Bill, 2026, is currently before Parliament and seeks to introduce a new framework for financing students in universities and other higher learning institutions.
The proposed system would significantly change how higher education is funded in Kenya.
President William Ruto has previously said government-placed first-year students would receive full government support for their higher education under the proposed funding model, including tuition and upkeep.
The funding would be administered through the proposed Tertiary Education Funding Authority (TEFA), which would take over responsibilities currently handled by HELB, the Universities Fund and the TVET Funding Board if the Bill becomes law.
Ruto has said students who successfully complete their examinations and secure placement in colleges or universities would qualify for full government funding under the new system.
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