Students dissatisfied with their previous government funding allocations have until April 21, 2025, to submit appeals through the newly established Scholarship and Loans Appeal Mechanism.
The Universities Fund (UF) and the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) announced the development of the mechanism in a joint press statement.
“UF and HELB have developed a Scholarship and Loans Appeal Mechanism, which provides an accessible and transparent platform for students to seek redress regarding their scholarship and loan awards,” read the statement.
This announcement follows a directive from the Court of Appeal, which ordered both UF and HELB to establish, publicize, and implement an appeals mechanism within two weeks, effective March 26, 2025.
As part of compliance with the court directive, UF and HELB conducted abbreviated public participation on the new funding model. According to a joint notice, the exercise included physical regional meetings, online submissions, and physical drop-offs of memoranda and comments by stakeholders.
“The Higher Education Loans Board and the Trustees of the Universities Fund hereby notify students, the public, and all stakeholders that abbreviated public participation was carried out within the stipulated 14 days on the appeals mechanism,” the notice read.
The two agencies reported that the initiative—conducted across 21 higher learning institutions nationwide—generated valuable feedback from stakeholders, which informed key improvements to the appeals mechanism.
“After conducting successful public participation and reviewing stakeholder feedback, the two State Corporations have enhanced the Scholarship and Loans Appeal Mechanism,” the statement said.
Students are encouraged to submit their appeals via the Higher Education Financing Portal at www.hef.co.ke before the April 21, 2025 deadline.
This development comes after the Court of Appeal temporarily suspended a previous High Court ruling that declared the new funding model unconstitutional. The suspension allowed the government to proceed with the model, following the court-mandated public participation conducted from April 1 to April 4, 2025.
The UF further noted that the Variable Scholarship and Loan Funding Model—introduced by the President on May 3, 2023—may be subject to changes depending on the outcome of the ongoing court appeal process.
