Kenyans studying abroad to benefit from HELB loans

Dennis Tarus

October 31, 2016 10:50 AM

President Uhuru Kenyatta has said students studying in universities outside Kenya should benefit from the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) funds.

Speaking to more than 500 Kenyan students in Khartoum during his official visit to Sudan, Uhuru said the policy of the Government is that every Kenyan student in an accredited university qualifies for HELB loans and that is why even those in private universities are offered loans.

Students get between Sh35, 000 and Sh60, 000 for undergraduate students.

The money is meant for tuition, books, stationery, accommodation in campus, and daily subsistence. Graduate students get Sh200, 000 while those pursuing doctorates get Sh450, 000.

Policy on credit transfer

Responding to requests by students who asked for government support, Uhuru said the Government will dispatch officials from the ministry of education and HELB to take records of the many Kenyan students studying in Sudan who may need help.

The president also urged Kenyan students in foreign universities to take advantage of the policy that allows them to transfer their credits to Kenyan universities during their final year of studies.

The policy allows all students in accredited universities to transfer their credits to a Kenyan university where they can finish their studies if they so wish.

Uhuru last year rejected a Bill that forced the HELB Board to give all government-sponsored students loans.

The president termed the bill expensive and discriminatory by trying to make it mandatory for HELB to cater for "regular students" whereas all university students from poor backgrounds require access to the loans to pay their fees.

Dennis Tarus