HELB LOAN

STUDENTS' LOANS HAVE CAUSED STRIKE

By Mairitim Kipngetich

University of Nairobi Students strike at University Way over loan delays.

The delay in remission of funds to the accounts of continuing students, in various universities across the country has made the students took to streets to demonstrate. The students announced the strike on Sunday this week to Higher Education Loans Board (Helb) officials.

The students expected the funds to have been put in their accounts by July last semester, but until now the students have neither received any money nor have their money reflected in their accounts.

The life across various campuses is prohibitive and the students from various universities who emanate from less-endowed families have, according to Kenya Union of Students Organization chair Babu Owino, forced to sleep hungry and not to attend classes.

The students were informed by the Helb Chief Executive Officer, Charles Ringera, that their money would be remitted to their accounts starting from Monday this week. Many students are complaining that the loans board blackmailed them by just putting the money allocation figures to appear in their Helb portals.

The Helb loan offices at Anniversary Towers are full of students trying to check whether the money have been disbursed to their accounts. The students from the University of Nairobi are the frequent visitors of the building; Helb officials normally start by remitting the funds to the students from that university to avoid disturbances of loan inquiries from those students. The University of Nairobi is in the opposite of Anniversary Towers across University Way, so the students have an easy time accessing the building during strikes.

In addition to the ongoing strike, it is also important to note that Helb loan offices should be situated in different towns and cities across the country. The students whence from rural areas and universities found in several miles away from Nairobi, are always forced to travel all the way to the capital to correct mistakes they might have made during the application of their loans. Those students are forced to put up with long queues and to sit in irritating chairs found outside the offices at 18^th floor in Anniversary Towers. Those students also use a lot of money to arrive to the city. They are sometime called for three times before the loan are put in their account. The government should, therefore, try to devolve Helb loan offices to counties so that the students may access them at ease. Otherwise, they will always be forced to spend a lot of and they do not have money to sustain their living and that is why they applied for loan.

Photo: Charles Ringera,  Helb CEO, during the past function.

The amount to be given to each student varies. The maximum amount to be given to the student is 60, 000 shillings, but many students normally get as low as 37,000 shillings per year. The amount is not enough to sustain the student for even one semester. They students are often advice to appeal, but few students have got the amount they applied for. The students, therefore, have been forced to rely mainly on the money they get from their parents. This has not been easy since many students in various universities are from poor families.

The students have been agitating for increment in loans and have their university fees reduced, so that they can get money to sustain themselves.