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Explainer: HELB’s five bands, and how your family’s income decides what you pay.
University and TVET students who apply for government funding are placed in one of five bands. The band decides how much comes as a free scholarship, how much as a loan and how much your family pays.
The five bands
Band 1 (household income below Sh5,995 a month): 70% scholarship, 25% loan, family pays 5%, upkeep Sh60,000 a year.
Band 2 (Sh5,995 to Sh23,670): 60% scholarship, 30% loan, family pays 10%, upkeep Sh55,000.
Band 3 (Sh23,670 to Sh70,000): 50% scholarship, 30% loan, family pays 20%, upkeep Sh50,000.
Band 4 (Sh70,000 to Sh120,000): 40% scholarship, 30% loan, family pays 30%, upkeep Sh45,000.
Band 5 (above Sh120,000): 30% scholarship, 30% loan, family pays 40%, upkeep Sh40,000.
The income ranges and upkeep figures are as reported by The Star. The Universities Fund confirms that scholarships range from 30% to 70% depending on need. Check your own band on your HEF portal account.
This year
Applications close on Monday 21 September. HELB says it has finished allocations for students who applied by 3 September. Check your updated fee statement on your university or college portal. Late applicants are being processed under the same model. reports HELB's budget for 2026/27 was raised to Sh58 billion, from Sh41 billion.
What may change
The Tertiary Education Placement and Funding Bill 2026, now before Parliament, would move students to 100% loans from 2027 and end scholarships. Repayment would start a year after you get a job, at about 25% of monthly income. It is a proposal, not law yet.
Sources: The Star, Universities Fund, The Kenya Times, K24 Digital,
That was a Kibra News Network report, read by an A I voice.
University and TVET students who apply for government funding are placed in one of five bands. The band decides how much comes as a free scholarship, how much as a loan and how much your family pays.
The five bands
Band 1 (household income below Sh5,995 a month): 70% scholarship, 25% loan, family pays 5%, upkeep Sh60,000 a year.
Band 2 (Sh5,995 to Sh23,670): 60% scholarship, 30% loan, family pays 10%, upkeep Sh55,000.
Band 3 (Sh23,670 to Sh70,000): 50% scholarship, 30% loan, family pays 20%, upkeep Sh50,000.
Band 4 (Sh70,000 to Sh120,000): 40% scholarship, 30% loan, family pays 30%, upkeep Sh45,000.
Band 5 (above Sh120,000): 30% scholarship, 30% loan, family pays 40%, upkeep Sh40,000.
The income ranges and upkeep figures are as reported by The Star. The Universities Fund confirms that scholarships range from 30% to 70% depending on need. Check your own band on your HEF portal account.
This year
Applications close on Monday 21 September. HELB says it has finished allocations for students who applied by 3 September. Check your updated fee statement on your university or college portal. Late applicants are being processed under the same model. Kenyans.co.ke reports HELB’s budget for 2026/27 was raised to Sh58 billion, from Sh41 billion.
What may change
The Tertiary Education Placement and Funding Bill 2026, now before Parliament, would move students to 100% loans from 2027 and end scholarships. Repayment would start a year after you get a job, at about 25% of monthly income. It is a proposal, not law yet.
KNN Newsroom is the staff byline for stories written, rewritten and edited at the Kibra News Network desk. Where a story credits an outside outlet, the original source is linked at the foot of the piece.
