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Students demand spot on Kenya loans board

Student leaders frustrated by the cash crisis unfolding in Kenya’s public universities have called for changes to the law to give learners some relief.

The student representatives demanded changes to the Higher Education Loans Board (Helb) Act to deal with the revolving fund’s budget shortfalls.

During an engagement with members of the Young Parliamentarians Association of Kenya, they called for representation at the board to help address the issues that institutions of higher education face.

They also urged policy makers to allocate more money to the board to match the increased number of students offered places in various intakes.

READ: Financing crisis pushes students to life in the slums.

Mr Lone Felix, the President of the Student Governing Council at Kenyatta University, said: “The students we represent are suffering and we feel our voice is not being heard. Helb speaks for the students but we do not have a student representative in the board.”

Mr Johnson Sakaja, Nominated Member of Parliament and Chairman of TNA, agreed that it was a good idea for the students to have a voice at Helb adding that he would take it upon himself to see amendments were made to the Act.

“I will champion the amendments… to ensure that two student leaders represent the plight of other students at the board,” he said.

Additionally Sakaja noted that in “one or two months” time he will table National Youth Empowerment Authority Bill in Parliament that seeks to align university courses with market needs. The proposed law will, among other things, offer tax-based incentives to private companies that employ graduates with less than six months of experience and make it mandatory for parastatals to offer paid internship to students.