Cover photo: University students at HELB offices in Nairobi. Photo: @HELBpage / X, via People Daily Digital. Campus Pulse does not own this image; it is used here with attribution to its original publisher and source account.

If you have been refreshing the HEF portal like it owes you money — because, technically, it might — this one is for you.

The Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) has announced the processing and disbursement of 12 student loan batches, in a notice dated Monday, 26 October 2026. HELB's own wording, as reported by People Daily, was:

"The batches listed below have been successfully processed and disbursed as of 26th October 2026. Check if your batch is listed!"

Here are the 12 batches, exactly as listed:

  • HELB-006970
  • HELB-007172
  • HELB-007173
  • HELB-007176
  • HELB-007177
  • HELB-007178
  • HELB-007179
  • HELB-007181
  • HELB-007182
  • HELB-007187
  • HELB-007190
  • HELB-007191

This is the third October drop — not the first

The 26 October list follows two earlier October updates, and students who missed those should check them too:

  • 8 October 2026: five batches — HELB-007139, HELB-007145, HELB-007147, HELB-007146 and HELB-007132 — processed and disbursed to institutions.
  • 12 October 2026 (disbursed as of 9 October): seven batches — HELB-007062, HELB-007166, HELB-007170, HELB-007171, HELB-007163, HELB-007150 and HELB-007148.

That pattern matters. HELB is releasing in batches, not in one big wave, which is why your coursemate can be paid while you are still waiting — and why a batch list is not a rejection letter for everyone else.

How to check — properly

Students whose batch numbers appear on the list are advised to check their individual funding status through the official Higher Education Financing (HEF) student portal, or to contact their institution for clarification. Tuition payments go directly to institutions; upkeep payments go to eligible beneficiaries through their designated payment channels, so check the phone number linked to your HELB account for official payment notifications as well.

If your batch is not listed, People Daily's reporting is explicit: do not automatically conclude your application has been rejected. Check your individual account status and wait for further official updates.

And the warning that never gets old: HELB has cautioned students and parents against fraudsters who claim they can facilitate loan applications or payments for a fee, including fake WhatsApp groups promising loan assistance. Use only HELB's official website and verified social media channels, and never share your account details with an unauthorised person who promises to "push" your batch.

The bigger, uncomfortable context

These disbursements land against a backdrop of real funding anxiety. Reports in August indicated that approximately 140,000 students had yet to receive funding amid a financial shortfall estimated at Sh5.7 billion, and in September the Ministry of Education asked students to be patient while HELB processing was finalised.

That context is why batch lists go viral: for students from low-income households, upkeep money is not pocket money. It is rent, food, transport and the difference between staying in school and going home mid-semester.

What we could not verify

The total amount released in the 26 October batches, and the number of students covered by them, were not specified in the HELB notice as reported by People Daily. No individual student's payment amount or personal disbursement status can be verified from a batch list alone — that check has to happen on your own HEF portal account.

Sources