Govt disburses Ksh9.46B to support over 309K university students
By Cy Muganda, August 19, 2025The government has released Ksh9.46 billion through the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) to support university students across the country.
In a press statement released on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba confirmed that HELB had completed the disbursement to 309,178 university students.
“We are pleased to notify parents, guardians and university students that the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) has, as of today, disbursed a total of Kshs. 9.46 billion in financial support to 309,178 university students,” Ogamba stated.
Disbursement breakdown
According to the Ministry, disbursement comprises two main components: Ksh5.76 billion, which has been allocated specifically for tuition fees, while Ksh3.7 billion has been designated for student upkeep expenses.
“This amount comprises Kshs. 5.76 billion for tuition fees and Kshs. 3.7 billion for student upkeep,” Ogamba added.
Ogamba emphasised the government’s unwavering dedication to ensuring educational accessibility across all economic backgrounds.
“The Government will continue to provide the requisite funding to ensure that higher education remains accessible and affordable and that no student is left behind on account of financial limitations,” he assured.
The Ministry further advised all beneficiary students to verify receipt of their funds through the official HELB platforms.
“Students are advised to check their HELB portals to confirm receipt of the funds and to access detailed information regarding their individual HELB loan accounts,” the Cabinet Secretary directed.
Increased HELB funding
This comes days after the Ministry had announced the increase of HELB’s annual funding by Ksh5 billion from Ksh36 billion to Ksh41 billion.
In a statement by the Ministry of Education released on July 31, 2025, Ogamba announced that Ksh13 billion of the amount has already been released for tuition and student upkeep, while Ksh16.9 billion has been allocated to the Universities Fund for scholarships.
“To ensure no student is left behind, the government has increased HELB’s annual funding from Ksh36 billion to Ksh41 billion, a significant boost of Ksh5 billion. Of this, Ksh13 billion has already been released to support tuition and upkeep for students, while Ksh16.9 billion has been allocated to the Universities Fund for Scholarships,” the statement reads in part.