Students to receive HELB via M-Pesa in new move

Safaricom and the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) have announced a new partnership aimed at streamlining the process of accessing student loans in Kenya. The partnership will launch the HELB Mobile Wallet and HELB M-PESA Mini App, which will empower students to receive the upkeep portion of their student loans directly to their M-PESA account.

The HELB Mobile Wallet and Mini App (on the M-Pesa Super App) will allow all HELB beneficiaries to manage their accounts and access their loan-related information conveniently. Beneficiaries can use the app to view their loan status, apply for subsequent loans, withdraw funds, repay loans, and access their statements from an Android or iPhone app.

How to access HELB on M-Pesa App:

1. Go to the M-PESA Super App on your phone and select “Services”. Or dial *642#.
2. Look for the HELB Mini App and select it.
3. If you have already registered your mobile phone number with HELB, key in your phone number and receive a code to activate the Mini App.
4. Set a PIN for subsequent access to the app.
5. If you haven’t registered your mobile number with HELB, key in a phone number registered to the same National ID linked to your HELB account to connect your numbers and activate the Mini App.
6. Once you have activated the Mini App, you can use it to manage your HELB account.
7. You can view your loan status, apply for subsequent loans, withdraw funds, repay loans, and access your statements.
8. If you are a first-year student making your first application, you have the option to receive the upkeep portion of your loan through M-PESA or the mobile wallet.
9. If you are an existing HELB beneficiary, you can switch to receiving your upkeep on the mobile wallet as the option is gradually rolled out to students in their second and later years of study.

What they said:

“This partnership with Safaricom will empower beneficiaries with even more convenience and greatly enhance their experience when accessing funds and our services. All HELB beneficiaries can now access all our services through the HELB Mini App or by dialing *642# where they can apply for subsequent loans, access their HELB upkeep funds, withdraw funds, view their loan status, access their statements, and repay loans, all from feature phones, an Android and iPhone app,” said Charles Ringera, CEO of HELB.

“We are honored to be HELB’s partner of choice to deliver innovations that meet the evolving needs of their customers in a rapidly digitizing world. Through this partnership, we will build and deliver mobile and digital solutions that will further empower all beneficiaries with more convenience by enabling them to easily access and manage HELB funds and services on their mobile phone,” said Peter Ndegwa, CEO of Safaricom.

Safaricom and HELB plan to integrate other mobile money services besides M-PESA into the wallet, enabling students to receive funds through those services. The feature will be deployed in the coming months, providing students with even more options for accessing their loan funds.