The Government has disbursed Sh8 billion for University loans and scholarships for the first-year students currently being admitted in public universities under the new student-centred university funding model.
University Fund Chief Executive Officer Geoffrey Monari said out of the Sh 8 billion, Sh 5.2 billion has been disbursed to the Higher Education Loans Board towards tuition and loans for students joining public universities across the country.
He added that the remaining Sh2.8 billion has been allocated to the Universities Fund for scholarships and confirmed that the funds are now being credited to respective universities and student accounts upon ascertainment of student reporting and admission.
Speaking in Naivasha during a media sensitisation workshop, the CEO said that 134,029 applications for loans and scholarships had so far been received following the opening of the Higher Education Portal, out of which 127,591 had been approved and categorised into various financing bands depending on the student’s needs.
At the same time, Monaro said the Ministry of Education had extended the opening period of the Higher Education Portal for applications of loans and scholarships to December 31, 2024, to allow late applications following appeals lodged by students on the basis of the funding bands they had been placed in.
Monari clarified that about 12,000 appeals had been received and were being processed, and that they would be concluded within three weeks from the date of each appeal.
Monari emphasised that the re-categorisation process will rely on the accuracy of the information provided regarding an applicant’s socio-economic background, where they will review affirmative action considerations, socio-demographic factors, and family education expenses.
To ensure that all applicants are categorised fairly, the CEO affirmed that the Education Ministry will work in collaboration with the National Government Administration Office (NGAO), where the officers will assist in verifying the information provided by applicants from their respective jurisdictions across all the 106,600 villages in the country.
He clarified that the multi-agency approach was part of the government’s broader effort to enhance transparency, efficiency, and accountability in the university financing system.
“The result of the appeals will be communicated through the Higher Education Fund portal and accompanied by an SMS alert to the student to save time,” Monari assured.
The new university funding model now prioritises a student’s financial needs and separates placement from funding, where the students are categorised into five financing bands depending on their individual needs.
According to the categories, band one where students from homes earning less than Sh5,995 will get the highest amount of government funding. The government will pay up to 95 per cent of their university tuition fees through a mix of scholarships of 70% and student loans of 25%, and families will only be required to pay five per cent.
Students from households earning between Sh5,995 and Sh23,670 will be classified in band two and will get the second highest amount in government funding of up to 90 per cent, with 60% scholarships, 30% loans, and 10% from households.
Households making between Sh23,571 and Sh70,000 are classified in band three with 80% funding, where 50% will be scholarships, 30% loans, and 20% from households.
Students classified in band four will be those from households with a monthly income of between 70,001 and 119,999. They will receive 70% government funding, with 40% as scholarships and 30% as loans, while 30% of the funds will come from households.
And students who will get the least government funding will be from homes earning above Sh120,000, who will receive 60% as government funding, of which 30% will be scholarships, 30% will be loans, and 40% will come from households.
By Esther Mwangi