This archive report was first published on 16 July 2020.
Published on July 16, 2020, the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) has announced the waiver of the Ksh.1,000 compliance certificate fee for non-beneficiaries, offering a sigh of relief to job searching Kenyan youth.
According to a public notice issued by HELB CEO Charles Ringera, the fee was deemed punitive, especially for the unemployed youth who were not beneficiaries of the student loans.
Mr. Ringera stated that the board has stopped charging Ksh.1,000 for the issuance of the compliance certificate, effective from July 15, 2020, citing unemployment and under-employment challenges, slow economic growth, and escalated cost of living as reasons for the decision.
The HELB Compliance Certificates are now free of charge and can be accessed from the HELB website as well as the e-Citizen portal.
Mr. Ringera further stated that the move is aimed at motivating Kenyan youth to seek jobs and opportunities to contribute towards nation building, as well as to create goodwill and promotion of HELB products among Kenyans.
The compliance certificate is a requirement for all persons applying for public jobs, as stated in Chapter VI on Leadership and Integrity of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010, to enable institutions to assess them in areas of credit worthiness, social responsibility, and integrity.
