CS Ogamba Extends Tertiary Funding Window as 789,422 Applications Received
Nairobi, Kenya — 3rd September 2026
The Ministry of Education has extended the deadline for first-time university students and TVET trainees to apply for tertiary education funding, a move that offers a lifeline to thousands of learners who missed the original cut-off date amid mounting concerns over access, awareness, and administrative bottlenecks in the funding process.
In a press statement issued on Thursday by Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba, the Ministry announced that the application window — which had closed on 31st August, 2026 — has now been pushed to 21st September, 2026, giving eligible first-time applicants in universities and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions nearly three additional weeks to submit their applications.
A Deadline That Left Many Behind
According to the statement, a total of 789,422 applications had been received by the time the initial window lapsed.
While this figure represents a significant mobilisation of students and their families around the funding process, it also masks a troubling reality: an unknown but apparently substantial number of eligible first-time students had not yet applied when the deadline passed.
The CS acknowledged this gap directly, noting that the extension was necessary because “some eligible students and trainees may not have met the initial deadline on account of various causes.”
The statement did not elaborate on what those causes were, but they are widely believed within education circles to include limited internet access in rural areas, confusion over the application portals used by the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) and the Universities Fund, delays in verification of documents, and general unfamiliarity with a funding model that has undergone repeated changes in recent years.
For students and parents who had been anxiously watching the 31st August deadline pass without having completed their applications, the extension will come as welcome relief.
Missing the funding window has historically meant the difference between reporting to campus on time or deferring admission altogether — a consequence that disproportionately affects students from low-income households who depend entirely on government support to finance their education.
Billions Already Disbursed to Continuing Students
Even as first-time applicants scrambled to beat the deadline, the government moved to reassure the public that funding for continuing students was already flowing.
The Ministry disclosed that Ksh. 22.12 billion has been disbursed in first semester or first term funding to continuing university students and TVET trainees — a figure that underscores the scale of the government’s financial commitment to the tertiary education sector under the current funding architecture.
This disbursement will be closely watched by university and TVET administrators, many of whom have in the past raised concerns about delayed capitation payments disrupting institutional operations, from paying lecturers to maintaining hostels and laboratories.
Whether the Ksh. 22.12 billion has reached institutions in a manner that avoids the semester-opening cash-flow crises of previous years remains to be seen, but the early disclosure of the figure suggests the Ministry is keen to project an image of a funding system that is, at least for continuing students, functioning as intended.
The Student-Centred Funding Model Remains in Force — For Now
Perhaps the most consequential line in the press statement is the Ministry’s clarification on which funding framework will govern the processing of first-time applications.
The statement notes, “for the avoidance of doubt,” that applications from first-time students will be considered and processed in accordance with the current Student-Centred Funding Model (SCFM).
This is a significant clarification given the uncertainty that has surrounded higher education financing in Kenya since the SCFM was first rolled out.
The model, which replaced the older blanket HELB loan system with a means-tested approach combining scholarships, loans, and household contributions banded by financial need, has faced legal challenges, public criticism over its banding methodology, and repeated calls for reform.
By explicitly stating that the SCFM remains the operative framework for now, the Ministry appears to be pre-empting speculation — and possibly anxiety among applicants — that a shift to a new system might be imminent or might affect students currently in the application pipeline.
A Bill Still Pending in Parliament
That said, change is clearly on the horizon. The statement reveals that “appropriate transitional mechanisms” to a new Universal Access and Funding Framework will only be implemented once Parliament passes the Tertiary Education Placement and Funding Bill, 2026.
This confirms that the government is actively working on a successor framework intended to broaden and possibly simplify access to tertiary funding, but that this new system is contingent on legislative approval that has yet to materialise.
For students currently navigating the application process, this means the rules of engagement — including the banding criteria, loan-to-scholarship ratios, and household means-testing that define the SCFM — remain unchanged for the time being.
Any structural overhaul will only take effect once the Bill clears Parliament, a process that could take weeks or months depending on legislative priorities and the extent of debate the Bill attracts, particularly given the contentious history of funding reforms in the sector.
What This Means for Applicants
For the hundreds of thousands of students still hoping to secure funding for their first year of university or TVET study, the message from the Ministry is clear: the door has not closed.
Eligible first-time applicants who missed the original deadline have until 21st September 2026 to submit their applications through the Universities Fund and HELB platforms.
Education stakeholders will nonetheless be watching to see whether this extension is accompanied by concrete measures to address the underlying causes of the initial shortfall — whether through improved digital infrastructure, targeted outreach to underserved communities, or clearer communication about application requirements.
Without such measures, there is a risk that even the extended window could close with eligible students still left behind, reigniting the very concerns this latest circular was intended to address.
As the country awaits parliamentary action on the Tertiary Education Placement and Funding Bill, the coming three weeks will be a critical test of whether the current funding model can deliver equitable access to the students who need it most.