It is a relief for job seekers after the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) announced a waiver on clearance certificates for people who are non- beneficiaries of the fund.
In a statement HELB CEO Charles Ringera said the board has stopped charging Ksh1,000 for issuance of the Compliance Certificates, saying that the fee has been perceived as punitive for those who did not benefit from the student loans.
“However, during various stakeholder engagements where HELB seeks feedback on Citizen Service Delivery, it has repeatedly come to our attention that the charges for non-loanee compliance certificate are perceived to be punitive, especially to the many unemployed youth who did not benefit from the student loans”, said Ringera.
”Given the foregoing issues raised by Kenyans, HELB has stopped charging Kshs. 1,000 for issuance of the Compliance Certificate with effect from 15th July 2020” he added.
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The HELB Compliance Certificates will now be free of charge and can be accessed from the HELB Website www.helb.co.ke as well as the E-Citizen Portal.
Mr. Ringera said that the move is aimed at motivating Kenyan youth to seek jobs and opportunities to contribute towards nation-building as well as to create goodwill and promotion of HELB products among Kenyans.
He singled out unemployment and under-employment challenges, slow economic growth and escalated cost of living, and retrenchment and downsizing affecting all sectors which have been exacerbated by the Covid-19 Pandemic as some of the factors that informed their decision that has been welcomed by Kenyans.
Chapter VI on Leadership and Integrity of the Constitution of Kenya,2010 requires all persons applying for public jobs to present specific compliance certificates as part of the interview process.
HELB is one of the listed institutions from which interviewees seek compliance certificates.
Why is the HELB certificate a requirement?
The HELB compliance certificate enables institutions to assess individuals applying for jobs in the following areas:
- Creditworthiness – Having fully repaid or currently repaying their loans indicates good personal financial planning and can be trusted with organizational assets and other resources,
- Social responsibility – Support in building the HELB revolving Fund to ensure the current needy students access higher education after the past beneficiaries repay outstanding loans, and
- Integrity – An indication of personal responsibility and motivation for beneficiaries to service their loans.
