Have you logged into your HELB portal this week?

If you haven't, you might be in for a shock. A new column has appeared labeled 'Household Per Semester' or 'Household Fee Per Semester' and it is leaving many university students confused and angry.

The column shows the amount of money you and your parents must pay from your own pocket after HELB loan and the Higher Education Fund (HEF) scholarship have been deducted.

What does it mean?

Under the old system, HELB used to try and cover a large part of school fees. Under President William Ruto's New University Funding Model, that has changed.

Now, the government categorizes students into bands using a Means Testing Instrument (MTI). Depending on your band, you get a percentage as a scholarship, a percentage as a loan, and your family is supposed to pay the rest - that rest is what is now labeled as 'Household Per Semester'.

For example, if your total semester fee is Ksh 80,000, you might get Ksh 30,000 scholarship, Ksh 20,000 loan, and the remaining Ksh 30,000 appears as Household Per Semester.

Why are comrades complaining?

On X and Facebook, students are sharing screenshots like the one above and asking one question: How is this fair?

Many say the household fee they are being asked to pay is HIGHER than the upkeep loan they receive. One student whose dashboard is circulating online shows an upkeep loan of Ksh 56,400 but a household fee demand of over Ksh 12,000 per semester on top of fees.

"I am supposed to pay more than what HELB is giving me. Where will my mama in the village get that money?" one comrade posted.

The new model was supposed to help needy students, but many feel it is punishing them.

What the Ministry says
Education CS Julius Migos Ogamba has in the past defended the model, saying it was introduced to make university funding sustainable and to ensure vulnerable students get more support than the well-off. The Ministry says Band 1 (most needy) gets 70% scholarship and 25% loan, paying only 5% as household, while Band 5 pays up to 60%.

But students say the ground reality is different and the means testing tool is not accurate.

What you should do now
1. Log into your HELB portal - http://hef.co.ke and check your band and your household amount.
2. If you feel you were placed in the wrong band, you have 14 days to launch an appeal with evidence on the same portal.
3. Talk to your Dean of Students - many universities are holding clinics to help students appeal.

Did you find a huge household fee on your dashboard? How much are you being asked to pay? Share your screenshot in the comments below - let's compare notes.
_This is a developing story. We will update after HELB issues an official statement.