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Students checking their HELB accounts are confronting a worrying mismatch: upkeep may be marked as disbursed, yet the money may still be inaccessible through M-Pesa.
For university and college students relying on Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) upkeep for food, accommodation, transport and other basic expenses, the difference between seeing “paid” on a system and actually receiving the money can be significant.
This has left students asking a pressing question: If HELB has marked the upkeep as disbursed, why can’t some students access it?
HELB has previously clarified that students who selected M-Pesa as their upkeep payment method should wait for a SurePay confirmation SMS before accessing their funds.
The board has also indicated that after receiving the second SurePay confirmation message, students can access their upkeep through the HELB M-Pesa service by dialling _642#.
The implication is that the payment process does not necessarily end when a student’s batch is marked as paid. There can be a further stage between disbursement and accessibility.
That distinction is particularly important for students who may already have made financial commitments based on the expectation that their upkeep money is available.
A student may check the HELB system and find that their batch has been processed while still waiting for the SurePay message required to access the funds.
HELB has previously advised students to allow up to 72 hours for the communication, depending on the disbursement process.
Students whose batches have been marked as paid should therefore continue checking the mobile number registered with their HELB payment details.
The absence of an immediate SMS does not by itself prove that a payment has failed. But for students depending on upkeep to meet daily needs, even a short delay can create pressure.
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After receiving the required confirmation message, students can access their upkeep using the HELB M-Pesa service.
Through USSD, the process is:
Students can alternatively use the HELB Mini App through the M-Pesa App. They should select Categories, then Education, and choose HELB. The registered M-Pesa telephone number is used during the login and verification process.
Once access is granted, students can select the withdrawal option and transfer available upkeep funds to their M-Pesa account.
Students whose upkeep is showing as disbursed but remains inaccessible should first verify their individual payment status through official HELB channels.
They should also ensure that the telephone number linked to their HELB payment details is active and able to receive SMS messages.
Students should not give their M-Pesa PIN, passwords or other confidential financial information to people claiming to facilitate HELB payments.
The situation also highlights a wider issue in student financing. For students, a disbursement is not complete in practical terms until the money can actually be accessed.
The immediate challenge, therefore, is not simply whether HELB has processed the money, but whether students have received the communication and access required to use it.
As students continue checking their phones and HELB accounts, the question remains: HELB upkeep is marked “paid”, but are students still stranded waiting for their M-Pesa money?
By Hillary Muhalya
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