The Higher Education Loans Board, HELB, is the leading
financier of higher education in Kenya. It is a State Corporation under the
then Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology.
HELB was established by an Act of Parliament (Cap 213A) in
1995.The mandate of the Board is to disburse loans, bursaries and scholarship
to students pursuing higher education in recognized institution.
HELB provides affordable loans bursaries and scholarships to
Kenyans pursuing higher education. Key among the responsibilities of the Board
is sourcing funds, establishing, managing and awarding loans bursaries and
scholarships to Kenyans pursuing higher education in recognized institutions.
Through the Act, the Board has been able to recover funds
loaned out to Kenyans in the past.
History
The genesis of the Higher Education Loans Board dates back
to 1952 when the then colonial government awarded loans under the then Higher
Education Loans Fund [HELF] to Kenyans pursuing university education in
universities outside East Africa notably Britain, USA, former USSR, India and
South Africa.
Students who were pursuing university education in
universities outside East Africa and were not on scholarships were advanced
loans by the then government against securities such as Land Title Deeds, Insurance
policies and Written Guarantees.
However by 1974, the provision of education, in general, had
expanded intensely as a result of the heavily subsidized primary and secondary
education and the general yearning for education by most Kenyan families.
Consequently, the number of students seeking university
education had grown to an extent that it was becoming increasingly difficult to
adequately finance university education by providing full scholarships and
grants by the Government.
The Government, therefore, introduced the University
Students Loans Scheme (USLS), which was managed by the Ministry of Education.
Under the scheme, Kenyan students pursuing higher education at Makerere,
Nairobi and Dar es Salaam universities received loans to cover their tuition
and personal needs, which they would repay on completion of their education.
However, the University Students Loans Scheme (USLS) was
plagued with a number of problems right on the onset. It lacked the legal basis
to recover matured loans from loanees.
In addition, the general public and university students
wrongly perceived that the loan was a grant from the government, which was not
to be repaid.
In order to address this problem, in July 1995 the
Government through an act of Parliament established the Higher Education Loans
Board to administer the Student Loans Scheme.
In addition, the Board is empowered to recover all
outstanding loans given to former university students by the Government of
Kenya since 1952 through HELF and to establish a Revolving Fund from which
funds can be drawn to lend out to needy Kenyan students pursuing higher
education.
The establishment of a revolving fund was also expected to
ease pressure on the exchequer in financing education, which currently stands
at 40% of the annual national budget.
Helb Contact
Head Office
Anniversary Tower 19th floor, University Way
P.O. Box 69489-00400
NAIROBI-KENYAContact Centre:
Tel: +254 711 052000; email:contactcentre@helb.co.ke
SMS: 21112
General inquiries : contactcentre@helb.co.ke