The Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) has announced seven additional student loan disbursement batches, urging beneficiaries to check their funding status as the government continues releasing financial assistance for the 2026/2027 academic year.
In an update published on its official X account on Monday, October 12, 2026, the board listed seven batches that had been successfully processed and disbursed as of October 9.
The batches are HELB-007062, HELB-007166, HELB-007170, HELB-007171, HELB-007163, HELB-007150 and HELB-007148.
“The latest batch update is out! Check the poster to see if your batch number is among those successfully processed and disbursed,” HELB said.
The board did not disclose the total amount released, the number of beneficiaries covered, or whether the latest batches represent tuition payments, upkeep funds or both.
The latest announcement is not the first disbursement update for the 2026/2027 academic year.
On September 11, 2026, media reported that HELB had completed loan allocations for eligible students who applied by September 3, with upkeep disbursements already underway and tuition payments scheduled for the September payment cycle.
The board subsequently announced another disbursement on October 8, when it confirmed that five batches — HELB-007139, HELB-007145, HELB-007147, HELB-007146 and HELB-007132 — had been processed and sent to higher education institutions.
The media reported that the payments were intended to support tuition costs, with beneficiaries advised to confirm their status through their student portals or respective institutions.
The successive announcements indicate that funding is being released in batches. However, they do not establish the total number of students who have received their money or how much has been disbursed nationally.
The disbursements come amid increased government funding for higher education.
In February 2026, National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi announced plans to increase HELB's allocation from Sh41 billion in the previous financial year to Sh58 billion for 2026/2027. The proposed increase of Sh17 billion represents approximately 41.5 per cent growth in the student loan allocation.
The government also proposed Sh34 billion for scholarships, bringing the combined planned allocation for loans and scholarships to Sh92 billion.
The additional funding is intended to help meet growing demand for financial assistance as more students enroll in universities and technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions.
Kenya's student-centred funding model, introduced in May 2023, determines assistance according to students' assessed financial needs and the cost of their academic programmes. Under the system, eligible learners may receive a combination of government scholarships and loans.
According to the Higher Education Funding portal, tuition payments are sent directly to institutions, while eligible upkeep funds are paid into students' personal accounts.
The distinction is important because a batch being processed and disbursed to an institution does not necessarily mean that a student has received upkeep money.
HELB has encouraged students to confirm whether their batch numbers appear in the latest announcement and verify their individual funding status before making financial arrangements.
Beneficiaries can log into the Higher Education Funding student portal to track their applications, allocations and disbursements. They may also contact their respective institutions to establish whether tuition payments have been reflected in their fee accounts.
Students can access HELB services through its official website or by dialling *642#.
Those whose batch numbers are missing from the latest list should continue monitoring official announcements for subsequent updates.