Ruto Says Enough Funds Were Allocated for HELB

President William Ruto has said that Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) has been allocated enough funds in the past two weeks to lend to students across the country.

The president made the statements speaking at the Kisii National Polytechnic on Thursday afternoon.

“We have allocated enough money in the budget in the last two weeks. You now have money for HELB so that you can continue with your education without difficulties,” he said. 

This comes a day after HELB told MPs that students will have to wait longer until the Treasury releases Sh5.7 billion for onward disbursement to them.

“Currently, we have 140,000 students in TVETs and universities that we have not been able to fund to the tune of Sh5.7 billion because we have run out of the budget that we had presented to Treasury of Sh4.5 billion,” HELB chief executive Charles Ringera said on Wednesday. 

The delayed disbursement means that the students, most of whom are in their first year will have to find alternative means of paying for their tuition, accommodation, and upkeep as they await government funding.

Mr Ringera noted a request to plug the current financing deficit through a supplementary budget was declined.

In the current financial year, the agency allocated Sh14.8 billion to finance students based on their economic backgrounds.

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Ruto further promised to employ 1,300 TVET teachers, 50 of them to be posted to the Kisii polytechnic, adding that he had directed Education CS Ezekiel Machogu to allocate Sh1oo million to finish the construction at the college. 

He urged those who are working at the Institution and are not employed by the government to apply for the same once jobs are advertised.

“This is to ensure that we have additional tutors in this college so that we can assist the students to acquire knowledge and we reduce the burden on parents and on the college on paying teachers,” he added.