Higher Education Loans Board, HELB, to publish names of defaulters since 1975 on newspapers; This is what you should do

The Higher Education Loans Board, HELB, has given defaulters a period of 30 days to clear their outstanding loan balances. The Loans agency has threatened to publish names and photographs of all defaulters. HELB will at the same time take legal action against the defaulters.

Here is the notice from HELB;

NOTICE: PUBLISHING NAMES AND PICTURES OF UNIVERSITY LOAN DEFAULTERS

The Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) is a State Corporation established in July 1995 by an act of Parliament, the Higher Education Loans Board Act, CAP 213A of the Laws of Kenya. HELB is mandated to provide loans, bursaries and scholarship to Kenyan students pursuing higher education in recognized institutions of higher learning and to recover loaned out funds from the beneficiaries.

HELB wishes to notify the general public and loan defaulters that the HELB student loan is a government debt which should be repaid as per the terms and conditions on which it was advanced.
However, some beneficiaries who are in default have not responded to previous communication addressed to them yet the funds received from loan repayment are used to support the current needy students therefore sustained default hinders funding of other deserving Kenyan youth.

Please take note that the names and pictures of HELB loan beneficiaries who have defaulted repayment of the loan from 1975 to date shall be published in the leading newspapers after expiry of 30 days from the date of this notice and thereafter legal action may ensue against each defaulter as stipulated in the HELB Act.

Beneficiaries who are not servicing their loans are therefore advised as follows:

Get in touch with HELB via dru@helb.co.ke for particulars of their loan accounts and any other inquiry.
Loan status may be confirmed via the loanee portal on the website http://www.helb.co.ke; USSD Code #642# or HELB App through Google playstore.
Loan Repayment Options are available online on https://www.helb.co.ke/repay-loan/

Here are links to the most important news portals:

Repaying your Student Loan

Undergraduate Loan Repayment starts within one year of completion of studies or within such a period as the Board decides to recall the loan whichever is earlier. However, you can make voluntary payments before or after you complete your studies to reduce your loan balance.

Completion of Loan Repayment

Upon completion of loan repayment, kindly seek clearance from HELB. Please note that only HELB and not your employer can confirm your loan repayment status. HELB shall confirm loan repayment completion by issuing certificate of clearance. For clearance, please fill in the HELB Enquiry form.

Over Repayment

If you overpay your loan, you will receive a refund from HELB and not your employer. To claim refund, please fill in the Loan Recovery Enquiry form.

Click here to access HELB Enquiry Form

Jielimishe Loans (for salaried students)

Jielimishe Loans are due for repayment immediately upon disbursement. Successful applicants shall be notified via e-mail.

Loanee Obligations

All loanees [HELB loan beneficiaries] are required to start repayment after a period of one year on completion of studies, or within such a period as the Board may decide to recall the loan whichever is the earlier (Section 15 HELB Act). Paying the higher education loans at an early age reduces an individual’s financial burden in midlife when one is bringing up a family, paying a mortgage as well as planning for retirement. Among other advantages of paying the loans include; reduction of the number of loans that an individual has hence avoid being blacklisted with the Credit Reference Bureau (CRB) hence one can easily get a bank loan.

To ease your repayment, the Board has developed several different modes of repayment that suits the loanees who are employed and self-employed such as check off system, mobile payment that include M-Pesa, Airtel among others.

Therefore your obligation as a Loanee under the Act is to;

Inform the Board of your contact addresses (section 15 (a) HELB Act),
Begin repayment of your loan together with the interest accrued thereon (Section 15(b) HELB Act),
Facilitate the deduction and remittance of the loan to the Board – (Section 15 (c) HELB Act).

EMPLOYERS

Employers Obligations

The Higher Education Loans Board Act, 1995 demands that employers adhere to the law as stipulated below:

Disclose Loanees: Inform the Board that they have employed loanee(s). This should be done within three months from the date of employment. (Section 16(1) (a) of the HELB Act)
Deduct from the wages or remuneration of the loanee(s) the amount of any loan as instructed by the Board (Section 16(i)(b) of the HELB Act)
Discharge/remit the amount deducted from the loanee’s wages or remuneration

LOAN REPAYMENT METHODS

HELB offers various loan repayment methods as follows:

Local Repayment Methods

Mobile Payment Services: M-PESA

Using M-PESA (Safaricom) Money Transfer:

Select pay bill option
Enter HELB business number as 200800
Enter your national ID number as your account number
Enter amount you want to pay
Enter your secret PIN number
Confirm transaction and send

Note: The transaction reflects in your statement immediately after the transaction.

Bank Deposit

All payments are payable to Higher Education Loans Board, by crossed cheque, bankers draft, direct transfer/standing order/EFT or cash deposit to HELB collection A/C in any of the following banks:

Bank	Account Number	Branch	Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT)
Kenya Commercial Bank	1103 266 314	University-way	SWIFT CODE : KCBLKENX
Family Bank	035 000 024 971	Family Bank Towers	SWIFT CODE : FABLKENAXXX
Co-operative Bank	011290 612 228 00	University-way	SWIFT CODE : KCOOKENA
Barclays bank	077 501 8216	Barclays Plaza	SWIFT CODE : BARCKENX
Standard chartered Bank	010 801 826 4700	Koinange street	SWIFT CODE : SCBLKENX
Equity bank	055 029 357 3408	Equity Center	SWIFT CODE : EQBLKENA
National Bank of Kenya	010 016 039 1100	Harambee Avenue	SWIFT CODE :NBKEKENX
Citibank	300 040 012	Nairobi	SWIFT CODE : CITIKENA
SBM Bank	0332 084 215 001	Delta House	SWIFT CODE : SBMKENA
NCBA Bank Kenya	1002 247 638	NIC House	SWIFT CODE : CBAFKENX
Jamii Bora Bank	1174 852 7001	Koinange street	SWIFT CODE : CIFIKENAXXX

Diaspora Repayment Methods

Wave

You can make payments instantly from the US and Canada through Wave via KCB account number 1103266314.
Go to www.sendwave.com to update/download the app and then make transfers immediately.
Please forward the wave email notification as well as your ID NUMBER to OnlinePayments@helb.co.ke

World Remit

Log in to www.worldremit.com
Select the ‘Bank Deposit’ service from the blue ‘Send to’ box on this page
Choose whether to make the transfer to a Kenyan shilling (KES) or US dollar (USD) account
Enter the amount you want to transfer
We’ll show you the highly competitive exchange rate you’ll receive and any fees upfront
Enter recipient’s details KCB ACCOUNT NUMBER 1103266314
Pay online using a credit or debit card
Use your ID number as the reference
You and your recipient will receive SMS and email notification once the transfer is complete
Please forward the wave email notification as well as your ID NUMBER to OnlinePayments@helb.co.ke

By Editorial Team

The Education News Hub Editorial Team is made up of vibrant and experienced editors. Brian Yano is an accomplished longtime Digital Media Journalist at Educationnewshub.co.ke with a great passion for research and fact-checking. He delivers engaging content across diverse topics, with a special interest in Education matters. On her part, Yvonne Kemunto is a journalist, dedicated to unraveling stories that matter. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, she brings a fresh perspective to the world of media. Her commitment to detail and excellence shines through in every piece she crafts. Our newest member of the Editorial Team is Jennifer Mumbo. She is a Seasoned Multimedia Journalist with several years' experience; dating back to 2018. Jennifer has a passion for education, sports, tech, politics and entertainment. You can reach the editors at educationnewshub3@gmail.com.