The Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) has issued instructions to applicants who applied for loans as minors using their KCSE index numbers and have since acquired their national identity cards.
In a statement on Monday, July 21, the board outlined a simple online process to update national ID information on the HELB portal.
Applicants are required to log into their existing HEF accounts using the same KCSE index numbers they used when creating the account.
Upon login, a pop-up window will appear prompting them to update their ID information.
Users should enter their National ID number and first name exactly as it appears on their ID card and then click the “validate” button.
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Once the system validates the provided information, users will receive a pop-up confirming that the ID has been updated.
They must then click on the “Register” tab to complete the process.
HELB has advised applicants not to create new accounts.
Instead, they should continue using the account originally registered with their index number and update it with their National ID details.
This comes a week after HELB issued a fresh directive on loan repayment, after Members of Parliament raised concerns over the agency’s recovery methods.
In a notice shared via HELB’s official social media platforms on Tuesday, July 15, the board reminded beneficiaries of the available repayment options, saying it had simplified the process to accommodate various lifestyles.
“We have made your HELB loan repayment simple and flexible with multiple options to suit your lifestyle,” the notice read in part.
The communication came shortly after the National Assembly Committee on Education visited HELB for an oversight mission focused on the implementation of the New Higher Education Funding Model (NFM), the agency’s recovery challenges, and the overall budget performance.
During the meeting, lawmakers expressed dissatisfaction with the board’s recovery rate, noting that over KSh15 billion in loans remain in default.
Committee Chair Julius Melly said MPs had received numerous complaints from Kenyans struggling to navigate the new funding model, particularly the Means Testing Instrument (MTI), which is used to allocate loans and scholarships.
“One of the issues that we want to hear about is the university funding model and the means testing instrument. It is giving Kenyans sleepless nights,” Melly said.
According to HELB CEO Geoffrey Monari, the board had a total of 1.03 million mature loan accounts.
Out of these, 293,122 accounts, valued at Ksh33.2 billion are non-performing.
