HELB today opened the application portal for loans and scholarships to undergraduate students and institutions of Technical Vocational and Education Training, TVET. This is an announcement published earlier today through the official X HELB account, formerly Twitter, targeting students who are applying for funding for the very first time.
Application Details and Requirements
Eligibility and Application Process
This is Hellenb’s new funding scheme aimed at students embarking on their several universities and TVET institutions. First-time applicants, the application which opened some few weeks ago, requires them to have the following:
- Valid email address and telephone number
- Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) index numbers along with the years of examination
- Passport size photo in jpeg/jpg format
- Copy of National ID or Maisha Card (both sides in PDF format)
- Valid bank details or a valid MPESA number (registered under the applicant’s name and ID number)
- Birth Certificate in PDF format if applying as a minor
Additional Documentation
Applicants who were sponsored in secondary school must provide a copy of the sponsorship letter in PDF format. Furthermore, the application process requires:
- Parents or guarantors’ national identification cards and registered telephone numbers
- Death Certificates in PDF format for applicants whose parents are deceased
To apply, candidates can visit the HELB application portal at www.hef.co.ke.
Funding Model and Government Support
The application exercise began a few days after Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu announced that the process would begin on June 17, after having been pushed from June 15 to allow for the Eid ul-Adha celebrations. The system is based on a student-centered funding model, which the government introduced and comprised a combination of scholarships, loans, and contributions from parents/guardians.
Review and Allocation
Parents and guardians have been invited to check the funding results by the end of next month in order to understand how much financial support the government has given to their children. This is an organized means of ensuring that financial support is shared out equitably based on needs and circumstances for every student.