University students face charges over HELB demos

The nine university students arrested during Tuesday’s demonstrations over delayed Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) loans will be arraigned in court on Wednesday.

Nairobi Police Boss Japheth Koome said the nine students will face charges of malicious damage to property during the demos.

The students from the University of Nairobi and Technical University of Kenya, led by student leader Babu Owino, had held demos on city streets for the better part of Tuesday demanding the immediate release of their delayed HELB funds.

The students had taken the demonstrations to the Treasury building before engaging police in running battles.

Police were forced to use teargas to disperse the students who were hurling stones at the police.

In August, it was reported that HELB would be required to offer documentary evidence indicating that the students it denies loans have the ability to fund their university education.

This is if a new amendment to the law that seeks to guarantee loan access to students from poor families is approved by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

In the Higher Education Loans (amendment) Bill 2015 changes, jobless graduates get interest waivers as opposed to the current law where HELB defaulters, including those who notify the agency that they are unemployed, face an automatic Sh5,000 cumulative monthly fine.

Beneficiaries without a job within one year of graduation will be required to notify the board in writing to escape paying interest.

A minor who wishes to be considered for a higher education loan can now apply through a parent or a guardian and where a student is granted a higher education loan, the loan shall be transferred to the student’s name upon attaining the age of adulthood, the Bill says.

“Members of the board shall be elected by the student leaders on rotational basis from respective public and private universities and shall serve for a period not exceeding two years,” the Bill states.

Parliament in August approved changes to the HELB Act sponsored by Kiharu Member of Parliament (MP) Irungu Kangata.

HELB had earlier announced that non-beneficiaries are required to pay Ksh1, 000 to get a compliance certificate.

In order to get a government job, one must have this clearance certificate.

HELB had also said that it would, from September 2015, trace its loan defaulters living abroad.

Speaking to the Citizen Business Centre last month, HELB Chief Executive Officer Charles Ringera said Kenyans living in the diaspora account for the biggest defaulters to the fund.

Ringera said HELB would hire representatives to track the over twenty thousand defaulters as part of its loan recovery efforts.