HELB Appoints New CEO
Monari will succeed Charles Ringera, whose 10-year tenure ended in December 2024.
Viral Tea Ke Writer 
Geoffrey Monari, the former CEO of the Universities Fund, has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB).
HELB Chairman David Ekwee Ethuro announced on Thursday, March 13, that Monari will succeed Charles Ringera, whose 10-year tenure ended in December 2024. After Ringera’s departure, Mary Wachira Muchie temporarily held the position until Monari's appointment.
“The Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Geoffrey Monari as the new Chief Executive Officer [CEO] effective 13th March 2025,” stated Ethuro.
Monari will assume the role for a five-year term effective immediately.
Former Universities Fund CEO and new HELB boss Geoffrey Monari. /CITIZEN DIGITAL
Geoffrey Monari Profile
Monari brings over 15 years of senior management experience in higher education financing and possesses the necessary expertise to drive the success of the Board.
Before becoming the founding CEO of the Universities Fund in 2020, he served as HELB's Chief Operations Officer (COO) from 2016 to 2020.
According to HELB Chairman David Ekwee Ethuro, during his tenure, Monari played a key role in implementing transformative initiatives, including student lending, enhancing debt management, fostering HELB partnerships, mobilizing resources, and engaging key stakeholders.
The newly appointed CEO holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree, a Master of Business Administration, and a Senior Management Leadership Programme certificate. He is also currently enrolled in the Global CEO Africa Programme at Strathmore Business School.
“HELB is seeking to recruit transformative, competent and self-driven individual with an innate dynamism for the position of Chief Executive Officer/ Board Secretary,” part of the job advertisement read.
“The successful candidate will join a highly performing team and should not only be passionate, innovative, and qualified but also be dependable, emotional intelligent and have effective interpersonal, communication and leadership skills.”
Responsibilities
The newly appointed HELB CEO will be tasked with spearheading key policies and strategies to enhance higher education funding in Kenya. Monari's primary responsibilities will include overseeing the formulation of criteria for loan disbursement and recovery, ensuring compliance with HELB’s guidelines, and establishing strategic partnerships with local and international institutions to strengthen the organization’s mandate.
Additionally, he will be responsible for negotiating contracts with financial institutions to facilitate loan distribution and repayment, managing HELB’s surplus funds through authorized investments, and securing loans from approved sources with the Treasury’s concurrence.
As the Accounting Officer, Monari will oversee HELB’s daily operations, ensuring program efficiency, policy implementation, and performance management. His duties will also include mobilizing financial resources through grants, donations, and endowments while serving as the custodian of the Board’s Common Seal.
With Kenya’s higher education funding facing increasing demand, Monari's leadership will be critical in driving reforms and ensuring financial sustainability within the sector.
Monari's first task is to ensure that the board meets President William Ruto's directive that HELB disburse funds to students by the end of this week. The President issued a warning to those in charge of disbursement, stating that if the funds are not released by Friday, he will personally hold them accountable.
"Today, the Head of Public Service is handling the matter, and I have instructed them to ensure that the money reaches the students' accounts by Friday so that everyone can have their resources.
"If that money has not been reflected in your accounts by then, you can reach out to me. There are people I will have to hold responsible for the same," he announced.
In the past, delays in disbursing funds to students have triggered protests, with university students taking to the streets to urge the government to take action.
