Ruto Slams Rich, Salaried Kenyans Complaining Over HELB

President William Ruto on Sunday, October 22 criticised a section of wealthy and salaried Kenyans who slammed his decision to review the model for distributing funds from the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) to university students.

Speaking during a church service in Riruta, Nairobi, the Head of State revealed that disgruntled murmurs from some wealthy individuals unhappy over his new HELB formulae prompted him to respond.

The new model saw the President increase university fees and make changes to the criteria in which students would benefit from the learning, with some students standing to gain a 100 per cent scholarship while others would be required to foot the costs or get loans to fund their studies throughout their tertiary education.

"We have added money to educate our TVET and University students. We have decided that we will not send money to universities for the students, we shall give the students scholarships," he explained.

"We will figure out the needy students so that we can give them 100 per cent scholarships. Kenya is for all of us and we must factor in everybody."

The new funding will cover both University as well as Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) students, with Ruto defending the model by stating that it stood to benefit students from poor households.

"There are leaders who claim the model demands students to foot the fees in universities. Listen, the people I want to pay their full school fees are the children of these wealthy people and of those with a salary. (The fees) is not a lot of money, it is Ksh25,000 per semester," he added.

"You (wealthy people) used to pay Ksh200,000 school fees for students in academies and expensive high schools yet you complain about paying Ksh25,000 in the university. Surely."

In the new funding model, Ruto stated on Wednesday, May 3 that universities and TVETS will no longer receive block funding in the form of capitation based on a Differentiated Unit Cost and that funding to students shall combine scholarships, loans and Household contributions on a graduated scale.

According to the Head of State, the new model will include students categorised into three: the Vulnerable, the Less Vulnerable and the Able.

Ruto noted that the government would issue full scholarships for vulnerable students, thus sparing their parents from the need to pay any amount for the education of the students. 

"Their parents will contribute nothing. The funding shall be through government scholarships and loans," Ruto stated. 

However, for the students in the less vulnerable category, the government would offer them a scholarship that would pay up to 53 per cent of their education and issue them with a 40 per cent loan.

On May 17, Education Cabinet Secretary (CS) Ezekiel Machogu stated that private university students would not be eligible to access government scholarships from the university fund as guided by the new funding model announced by the President.

He noted that the students will only access government loans from the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB).

“If one wants to join a private university within Kenya, we will be able to place him or her there, but the government will not give them a scholarship.

"The scholarships will only be given to public university students. Those who wish to join private universities will only be eligible for loans from HELB," said Machogu.

He however noted that students joining public universities will access both government scholarships and loans.