Government releases Ksh14. 4B for University students for scholarships

Ksh14.4B released to fund university scholarships .

The government has allocated Ksh14.4 billion as the second installment to fund scholarships and loans for first-year students in universities operating under the Higher Education Funding (HEF) model. Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu announced that these loans will cover the second semester of the 2023/2024 academic year for continuing students.

Out of the total allocation, Ksh10.39 billion is designated for loans under the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), while Ksh3.98 billion will be disbursed for scholarships through the Universities Fund (UF). This brings the cumulative amount released by the Government for loans and scholarships to first-year students to Ksh23.6 billion since their enrollment in September 2023.

Under this model, the Universities Fund will directly distribute funds to individual universities for successful candidates to cover their tuition fees. Simultaneously, HELB will disburse tuition loans directly to respective universities/colleges and upkeep loans to the students’ bank accounts or mobile phone numbers. The CS emphasized that universities will receive the scholarship portions for their students by January 19.

Categorization of students was achieved through a reliable scientific method, the Means Testing Instrument (MTI), which determines the students’ level of financial need to ensure adequate support. The HEF model applies to students who took the KCSE from 2022 onwards, and those who sat the 2023 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education Examination will constitute the second cohort under this new funding model.

The Ministry of Education reaffirms the government’s commitment to promoting access to university education and providing financial support to students. In October of the previous year, the government disbursed Ksh5.3 billion for student loans and an additional Ksh3.9 billion for scholarships for first-year students under the new funding model. Furthermore, Ksh10.3 billion was released to HELB in September to cover continuing student loans in universities and TVET colleges.

Beneficiaries of the first-year loans and scholarships are those who successfully submitted their applications through the Higher Education Financing portal, officially launched on August 31, 2023. The Ksh14.4 billion will be distributed based on individual applicants’ levels of need according to the new funding model.

Ksh14.4B released to fund university scholarships .