HELB dismisses poster warning graduates against creating loan accounts

Faith Lagat 07th July, 2025 08:12 PM

HELB CEO Geoffrey Monari during a session of the National Assembly’s Public Investments Committee on Governance and Education on Friday, May 30, 2025. PHOTO/https://www.facebook.com/ParliamentKE

The Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) has dismissed a widely circulating message urging 2024 KCSE graduates not to create loan accounts, terming it fake news.

In a statement posted on its verified X (@HELBpage) and Facebook pages, HELB cautioned students and the public against falling for misinformation shared on unofficial platforms.

The viral message, attributed to a nonexistent entity named Nachosun Kenya, falsely claimed that early HELB account creation could lead to complications due to incomplete data synchronisation with the Ministry of Technical and Industrial Training (MTI) system.

“Beware of scammers spreading false information! Always rely on our official channels for accurate and secure communication,” HELB posted, under the hashtag #KaaRada.

The fake notice had alarmed recent high school graduates, many of whom are eager to begin their higher education funding applications. It falsely stated that premature account creation could negatively affect loan processing, warning students to avoid taking any action until a specific period was announced.

HELB portal post on X about system maintenance. PHOTO/A screengrab by K24 Digital from a post by @HELBpage/X

However, HELB clarified that any official updates on the loan application timeline would be communicated only through its official channels: Facebook: facebook.com/HELBpage and X: x.com/HELBpage

The board encouraged students to ignore misleading advisories, stay alert to scams, and wait for formal communication regarding the 2024–2025 application window.

Earlier, the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) had announced a 72-hour maintenance window for its Higher Education Financing Portal, temporarily halting both first-time and subsequent student loan applications starting July 3, 2025.

In a notice shared on its official X account on July 3, 2025, HELB cited the need to improve service delivery after a 15% increase in application errors reported in 2024. The majority of these issues were attributed to system overload, as more students flocked to the platform seeking financial assistance.

“Comrade, the Higher Education Financing Portal is under maintenance to improve service. Downtime will last at least 72 hours. Both first-time and subsequent applications will be affected. We regret the inconvenience. Thank you.” Read part of the post addressing comrades.

This warning comes as fraudsters increasingly target fresh high school graduates during the university and college placement period, exploiting anxiety over timelines and funding eligibility.