The Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) has released 12 more batches of student loans for the 2026/2027 academic year. It is the board's third disbursement notice this month, as thousands of university and college students wait for tuition and upkeep money.

"The batches listed below have been successfully processed and disbursed as of 26th October 2026," HELB said in a notice issued on Monday and reported by Education News.

The batches are HELB-006970, HELB-007172, HELB-007173, HELB-007176, HELB-007177, HELB-007178, HELB-007179, HELB-007181, HELB-007182, HELB-007187, HELB-007190 and HELB-007191.

Third release in October

The notice follows two earlier announcements this month. On October 8, HELB said five batches had been paid out (HELB-007139, 007145, 007147, 007146 and 007132). On October 12, it listed seven more processed as of October 9 (HELB-007062, 007166, 007170, 007171, 007163, 007150 and 007148), The Kenya Times reported. That brings the number of batches announced in October to 24.

HELB did not say how much money the latest release covers or how many students will benefit. Students have been advised to check their own accounts rather than assume a batch notice confirms their individual allocation.

How students can check

Students can log in to the Higher Education Financing (HEF) portal at portal.hef.co.ke with their registered details to see the status of their application, allocation and disbursement. Tuition money is paid directly to universities and colleges, while upkeep goes to eligible students through their registered payment channels. Students waiting for upkeep have been told to watch for payment messages on the phone number linked to their HELB account.

Education News reported that a missing batch number should not be read as a rejection, since processing continues in phases. Students who are unsure should contact HELB or their institution through official channels.

The board has also warned students and parents about fraudsters who claim they can speed up applications or release payments for a fee. It has urged applicants not to share their account details with anyone.

Upkeep delays bite

Many students, especially those from poor households, depend on HELB upkeep to pay for rent, food and transport. The Ministry of Education has asked beneficiaries to be patient while the board processes payments, acknowledging that some are still waiting.

The delays come at a hard time for students at public universities, where teaching has stopped because of the lecturers' strike that began on October 2. Student leaders have said many learners are stuck paying rent near campuses while classes are suspended. Talks between the unions and the government collapsed again on Monday.

Students at universities, TVET colleges and the Kenya Medical Training College are funded under the Student-Centred Funding Model, which combines government scholarships and HELB loans according to need. Parliament is still considering legislation for a new higher education funding framework that President William Ruto has said he wants in place by January 2027.

Photos: Education News; Swathi Sridharan (ICRISAT) / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)