This archive report was first published on 12 October 2019.
On October 12, 2019, the National Assembly Committee on Education rejected a bid to amend the Higher Education Loans Board Act, citing limited financial resources.
The proposed amendment, tabled by Lamu Woman Representative Ruweida Mohamed, sought to make it mandatory for the government to give loans to all students from marginalised areas.
However, the committee, chaired by Tinderet MP Julius Melly, expressed reservations on the amendments, pointing out that it would not be fulfilling its main objective of funding eligible applicants regardless of their geographical background.
“Not all students from marginalised areas are needy as some of the parents can afford to pay fees. On the contrary, there are needy students from other areas...who deserve to be considered for Helb loans and bursaries,” reads the committee report.
The committee also warned that, if adopted, the amendments may set a precedent to change other laws towards favouring people from marginalised areas at the expense of other Kenyans.
The Commission of Revenue Allocation currently classifies the following counties as marginalised: Tana River, Lamu, Isiolo, Turkana, Samburu, Marsabit, West Pokot, Kajiado, Narok, Marakwet, Garissa, Wajir, and Mandera, Kilifi, Kwale, Taita Taveta, and Kitui.
