The Universities Fund (UF), Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) and Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) held a joint sensitisation forum that equipped staff with first-hand information about student placement and loan and scholarship application processes ahead of enrolment of first-year undergraduate students in universities.
The multiagency team will be required to competently handle queries from students and other stakeholders on placement and funding at the more than 50 huduma centres nationwide.
The team will also track how the means-testing instrument is functioning and ensure the Higher Education Financing (HEF) Portal (www.hef.co.ke) is operating optimally as applications for the 2026/2027 placement pour in.
The portal (www.hef.co.ke) is the official platform for applications for Government scholarships and loans under the Student-Centred Funding Model (SCFM). Applications run from July 8, 2026 to September 6, 2026.
Data released by KUCCPS showed that 202,133 students who sat the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination last year secured slots in the 44 approved public universities to pursue various degree programmes.
The UF is striving to ensure that at least 90 percent of the eligible students apply for the scholarships available at www.hef.co.ke and www.helb.co.ke.
To qualify for the scholarship, students must be Kenyans who have been placed in a public university by KUCCPS, have sat the KCSE in 2022 or later, and apply formally through the HEF platform. Continuing students may apply through USSD *642# via the mobile number registered on the portal.
Thus, during the 9 July 2026 virtual session, HELB Chief Executive Officer Geoffrey Monari underscored that the joint team is expected to develop a comprehensive communication strategy to help provide timely assistance to students and increase uptake of the funds.
Mr Monari stated that the robust strategy was also borne out of the need to address key challenges emerging during funding applications, such as incomplete applications, failure by applicants to upload all the required supporting documents and the spread of misinformation and disinformation.
During the 2026/2027 placement cycle, the team is keen on creating awareness among first-year students to submit their applications well before the deadline to avoid delays.
The strategy will ensure dissemination of proactive, anticipatory, consistent and timely messages to applicants. These will ultimately ensure UF and its partners create, shape and manage the scholarship narrative, foreshadow misinformation and tackle it strategically and methodically before it molds public perception.
Further, Mr Monari said the agencies will continue to strengthen their collaboration in communicating with stakeholders, especially to distinguish the difference between scholarships administered by UF and loans provided by HELB.
Additionally, UF is running a nationwide public awareness campaign dubbed #WahiScholarship to encourage students to apply for scholarships. The campaign seeks to raise awareness of the application process, eligibility requirements and key deadlines, ensuring that no deserving student misses out on financial support due to lack of information.
