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This is why #KOT are annoyed with Helb


Kenyans on Twitter (KOT) were on Tuesday enraged after it emerged that people who did not benefit from the Higher Education Loans Board (Helb) are required to pay Sh1,000 to get a clearance certificate.

What irked KOT more was the fact that while Helb beneficiaries get the certificate free of charge, non-beneficiaries have to part with the modest fee.

That is not all. The Helb recovery manager Geoffrey Monari says that the certificates are valid for one year meaning non-beneficiaries have to fork out Sh1,000 annually if they need the certificate.

The board took to social media to announce the requirements.

“Ksh, 1000 is for non loanees. Loanees are issued with a cert (sic) free of charge. Where one is not a beneficiary they will be required to pay 1000Kshs for the Helb clearance certificate,” tweeted Mr Monari.

“The clearance certificates are valid for one year, afterwards one has to renew them with us.”

ANNUAL RENEWAL

In a question and answer session on Twitter, Mr Monari explained that the reason for the annual renewal of the clearance certificate was because within a year, one’s loan status could change, that is if he or she applies for a Helb loan.

But Kenyans were unimpressed, with Helb becoming the top trending topic on Twitter by 10am.

Twitter user @I_Lemiso said: “Now this Helb thing is serious,The cid demands 1k to renew a good conduct now its help again..Enyewe tunaporwa.”

 

Another user ‏@Patrick_Mulla protested: “@HELBpage this is thuggery and robbery! So I end up paying the HELB I refused to take while in campus? We need a lawyer!!” while Grant Brooke drew an analogy: “Sold a TV. For everyone that didn’t buy that TV am going to need 1,000KSh for a certificate stating you didn’t buy it.”

PUBLIC SECTOR JOBS

The Helb clearance certificate is now a mandatory requirement for applicants of public service jobs since the enactment of the 2010 constitution.

This is in line with Chapter 6 of the constitution on leadership and integrity.

As at January 2014, Kenyans owed Helb Sh30 billion. According to the law, Helb loans mature 12 months after completion of studies.

However, anyone with ability to repay can start before maturity date. After maturity, a penalty of Sh5,000 is charged for every month the loan remains unpaid.