University Students Dismiss Ruto's HELB Loan Remarks, Declare Weekly Protests

Kenya University Student Organization (KUSO) President Anthony Manyara on Thursday, March 23 announced demonstrations every Friday over the delayed disbursement of Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) loans.

In a statement, Manyara noted that the KUSO leadership agreed that an invitation be sent to all students, parents, guardians and even lecturers to join in weekly nationwide student demonstrations until HELB loans are deposited to students' accounts.

He added that a final reminder was issued to HELB officials as well as government ministries involved in the fund regarding the importance of the loan funds to university students across the country.

KUSO President Anthony Manyara speaking to the media on March 23, 2023. /FACEBOOK.ANTHONY MANYARA

"A final reminder be issued to HELB officers and concerned gov't ministries that the HELB loan is the lifeline of students' survival in all institutions of higher learning and its delay is akin to closing down universities or starving students with the intention of killing them.

"A message be conveyed to all students across the country that KUSO's leadership has exhausted all diplomatic and peaceful mechanisms of getting the HELB loans released, and thus we are left with no other option except to invoke the ruthless comrades' power," stated Manyara in part.

He argued that KUSO has always strived to be a voice of reason between students and their corresponding institutions as well as government agencies that include HELB.

The organisation, in addition, has gained a lot of achievements through continuous engagements with government bodies.

"However, the all-important matter of timely HELB loans' disbursement remains a thorny issue with the bodies concerned carelessly shifting blames from office to office while students mercilessly suffer. Students no longer eat chicken but eat like and with chicken," he added.

Manyara accused the bodies concerned of "carelessly shifting blame from office to office while students mercilessly suffer" and that the meeting held by the student body on Thursday saw them resolve to hit the streets to prompt concerned offices to release the monies.

On the same day, however, President William Ruto clarified widespread concerns and reports of HELB lacking in funds, revealing that the government had disbursed the funds to the board two weeks ago.

The President had assured the students that the funds would reach them soon to ensure they continue with their studies without hitches.

“I want to announce that in the last two weeks, we have allocated funds to the HELB now you can continue with your studies without constraints," Ruto stated to the applause of students at Kisii Polytechnic, where he visited during the first day of his three-day visit to Kisii, Nyamira and Migori Counties.

"All those (eligible) for the loan will get the funds so that you can continue with education without hiccups."

Ruto's assurance comes after HELB CEO Charles Ringera on Wednesday, March 22 told Parliament that approximately 140,000 public university students had missed out on HELB loans, in the current fiscal year, since the loans board had depleted its cash reserves.

Ringera added that HELB would have to wait for the national exchequer to release Ksh5.7 billion for it to remit the loans to the university students who mostly use the advance to pay for their tuition fees and upkeep.

“Currently we have 140,000 students in TVETs and universities that we have not been able to fund to the tune of Ksh5.7 billion because we have run out of the budget that we had presented to the Treasury of Ksh4.5 billion,” Ringera told Parliament's Public Investments Committee on Education and Governance (PICEG).

He accused the State of also failing to cede to a request by HELB to cover the cash shortage via an additional budget. In the current fiscal year, HELB received Ksh14.8 billion from the exchequer for the disbursement of student loans.

Successful loan applicants are eligible to get between Ksh35,000 and Ksh60,000 annually.