There is good news here: MP Hon Gideon Keter has introduced a bill which will prevent HELB from penalizing graduates who fail to pay the loan in advance.
In the bill, graduates will not be required to obtain KRA compliance certificate,CRB clearance and a host of other requirements demanded by employers in Kenya.
After presenting the bill in parliament,the MP declared on Facebook:
“Relief from CRB, DCI, HELB, EACC, KRA Charges. The Motion to waver this charges is on the floor of the house (First Reading)
Youths will no longer have to pay for Tax Compliance Certificate (KRA), Certificate of good conduct (DCI), Higher Education Loan clearance certificate (HELB), EACC clearance and Credit Reference Certificate (CRB) that has been troubling them.
Any payment should be done after securing a job.
Troubling fresh graduates who cannot afford to buy food, pay rent, help sickly relatives has always given me sleepless nights but am glad that we have taken the issue to the floor of the House and will soon be done away with.
Such expensive preconditions costing thousands of money is equivalent to torture to our jobless youth and I promise that we will pass this motion without hesitation so that we stop troubling our penniless youth who need our support.
As the Youth Rep in the House, I will rally my fellow legislators to join hands with us to offset this burden.
Kenyan youths will no longer pay for these expensive clearances”
Currently,HELB has a fixed monthly penalty of Ksh5,000.The amount starts accruing few months into graduation.If the bill goes through, graduates will only be required to pay the loan after securing employment.