Former Roots Party deputy presidential candidate Justina Wamae has drawn attention to the growing crisis of HELB loan defaults amid high graduate unemployment.

In a post on X on November 3, 2025, Wamae highlighted the challenges facing Kenyan graduates, noting that over 300,000 students have defaulted on loans worth Ksh42 billion.

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“The economy is working very hard with over 300,000 Kenyan students having defaulted on HELB loans worth Ksh42 billion,” she wrote, underscoring the scale of the problem.

Disconnect between HELB and the job market

Wamae pointed out a structural flaw in the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) system, which assumes graduates will immediately find employment and repay their loans.

She argued that the job market is failing graduates more than the graduates are failing in their obligations. Wamae also questioned the effectiveness of government programs in addressing graduate challenges

“HELB loan works on the assumption that once you complete university = getting a job = pay the loan but with 67% unemployment rate in Kenya, how possible is it?” she questioned.

The figure reflects estimates for youth unemployment among Kenyans aged 15-34, highlighting the difficulty graduates face in securing work and meeting repayment obligations.

Systemic failures and economic inefficiencies

Wamae argued that the current situation is driven more by systemic failures than by individual graduates. “Clearly, the job market is failing graduates more than graduates are failing in their obligations,” she said, shifting focus to broader economic challenges.

Wamae has earlier placed unemployment and lack of decent incomes at the top of her list of national priorities, noting that millions of Kenyan youth continue to be locked out of opportunities. She argued that the persistent joblessness, combined with low wages, leaves young people without a pathway to economic stability, exacerbating the country’s broader economic challenges.

She also referenced the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) program, designed to provide skills training and entrepreneurship support. However, she expressed skepticism about its impact, stating, “But again if the only achievement is NYOTA program, HELB can wait.”

Her comments align with her wider advocacy for economic reform and private-sector-led growth. In October 2025, Wamae suggested that empowering the private sector could boost job creation, while previous posts criticized inefficiencies in public wage bills, such as Nairobi County’s increase from Sh6 billion to Ksh17.3 billion.