Thousands of students awaiting HELB upkeep funds have received a major update, with the Higher Education Loans Board confirming that Batch 7013 has been paid to student wallets as disbursements continue in stages.
The update offers relief to beneficiaries who have been closely monitoring their HEF accounts and mobile phones for payment notifications. However, HELB has cautioned that payment processing and actual access to funds are separate stages.
Students are therefore being urged to confirm their batch and disbursement status through the HEF Student Portal and wait for official SMS notifications before attempting to withdraw their upkeep funds.
HELB Confirms Batch 7013 Payment to Student Wallets
HELB has confirmed that students under Batch 7013 have had their upkeep funds paid to their designated mobile wallets.
The confirmation comes as the Board continues releasing government-funded student upkeep in batches, with beneficiaries progressing through different stages of allocation and disbursement.
For students in Batch 7013, the update represents an important step towards accessing the funds they need to meet living and education-related expenses.
However, HELB has indicated that students may not immediately be able to withdraw the money even after their batch has been marked as paid.
The Board's wallet teams are finalising the process, after which beneficiaries are expected to receive official SMS notifications confirming that their funds are ready for access.
Students should therefore avoid assuming that a batch marked as paid automatically means the money is immediately available for withdrawal.
How Students Can Check Their HELB Upkeep Status
Students can track the progress of their funding through the HEF Student Portal.
After logging into their accounts, beneficiaries should check whether their funding has been allocated and confirm the batch number attached to their application.
They should then review the disbursement section to establish whether their payment has been released.
The distinction is important because allocation and disbursement are not the same thing.
An allocation means HELB has awarded funding to a student, while disbursement means the money has actually been released through the designated payment channel.
A student may therefore see an allocation on the portal without having immediate access to the funds.
Students whose status indicates “paid to bank account” should check the bank account linked to their application.
Those whose upkeep has been directed to a mobile wallet should instead monitor their registered phone number for the official confirmation.
Students Advised to Monitor Phones and Avoid Scams
Beneficiaries using mobile payments should keep their registered phone numbers active and regularly check for official SMS notifications.
Students should also be careful about fraudulent messages and individuals claiming they can facilitate or accelerate HELB payments.
Beneficiaries should never share their M-PESA PIN, HELB password or other sensitive account information with strangers claiming to assist with disbursements.
Once an official notification confirms that funds are available, students using the mobile-wallet option can access their upkeep through the available M-PESA services.
They can also dial *642#, HELB's USSD platform, which provides access to several loan-related services without requiring a smartphone or internet connection.
The service allows students to check loan information, access loan statements, apply for subsequent loans, access available upkeep funds and manage loan repayment.
Other Students Must Continue Checking Their Accounts
The confirmation of Batch 7013 does not mean all students awaiting upkeep will receive their funds simultaneously.
HELB has indicated that beneficiaries are at different stages of the allocation and disbursement process.
Students should therefore not assume that their applications have failed simply because another beneficiary has already received an SMS.
The timing of payments may vary depending on the student's batch, funding status and designated payment channel.
Students are encouraged to regularly log into their HEF accounts and monitor the phone numbers registered with HELB for updates.
They should also confirm whether their funding has been allocated, whether the payment has been disbursed and where the money has been directed.
For Batch 7013 beneficiaries, the confirmation that funds have been paid to their wallets provides reassurance that their payments have moved significantly through the disbursement process.
For students in other batches, continued monitoring remains important as HELB processes payments in stages.
The ongoing disbursements will remain closely watched by thousands of students who depend on government funding to meet accommodation, food, transport and other expenses associated with their studies.
The latest update from HELB therefore provides some relief, but students should remain patient and rely on official channels rather than unverified payment claims.
For Batch 7013, the money has moved to the wallet stage; for everyone else, the next payment update could be just as important.
