First-Year Varsity students Hit with Fees Shocker as Helb Delays Disbursements
First-year university students reporting today are being asked to pay as much as Sh50,000 before they can be admitted, despite the delay in disbursement of Higher Education Loans Board (Helb) funds.
At the University of Nairobi (UoN), where reporting starts today, several students joining the institution revealed they were asked to pay between Sh23,000 and Sh50,000 as part of registration. The online admission portal demanded partial payment of fees before students could proceed with registration.
University officials attributed the requirement to the delay in Helb loan and scholarship disbursement.
“I have already paid Sh23,000 as registration fees because I was told to report on Monday, yet I have not received Helb support. We are just hoping things work out,” said an Education student admitted to UoN.
Another student joining Bachelor of Commerce said they were asked to pay over Sh33,000. “I am reporting tomorrow but I have been told to clear Sh23,256. Hostel fees are Sh21,500 per year, which is Sh10,750 per semester,” the student added.
Parents are disappointed with the unplanned financial demand, saying they had to take loans to cover the costs.
“This caught us off guard. I was asked for Sh30,000 for my son studying Economics. Others I know have paid Sh50,000 for Medicine, Sh50,000 for Qualitative Survey and Sh48,000 for Actuarial Science,” one parent said.
Many had expected relief under the new government funding model but were instead met with the demand for upfront fees.
“In the past, Helb used to cover the bulk of the fees and students would settle the balance. Now I am not sure if my two sons will even report. Life is tough,” said another parent.
Those who paid were admitted. “Once you pay, you upload your documents and wait 48 hours for the portal to open for admission,” a parent said.
This is a departure from previous years when students were admitted first and allowed to pay fees later in instalments. Universities say the change is to boost financial stability in the face of rising costs but families already struggling with inflation are concerned.
UoN’s Director of Corporate Affairs, John Orindi, denied claims of extra charges. “We are following government fee guidelines. Parents are only paying the minimum required for their programmes,” he said.But Public Universities Vice-Chancellors Committee Chairperson, Prof Daniel Mugendi, said no upfront fees should be required. “It’s a system issue. We agreed students should be admitted without initial charges. Institutions were told to set the registration portals to zero so students could register without paying,” he said. Prof Mugendi added that Medicine is the most expensive programme, with fees capped at Sh75,000 per semester.
Helb Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has confirmed that semester fees have been reduced and now range from Sh5,814 to Sh75,000 depending on the programme. He said 201,695 first years, 257,523 continuing students and 237,000 TVET trainees will benefit from the reduced charges this year.
Mr Ogamba said the cuts of 15 to 40% took effect on September 1, 2025 and apply to both new and continuing students. To support implementation, Helb’s budget was increased from Sh36 billion to Sh41 billion while Universities Fund got Sh16.9 billion for scholarships in universities and TVETs.
He added the allocations will also help sustain university operations and prepare institutions for the first cohort of students under the new Competency Based Curriculum that will join universities in 2029.
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First-Year Varsity students Hit with Fees Shocker as Helb Delays Disbursements