Govt Extends HELB Deadline to Sep 14 and Bans Parents from School Prayer Days - August 2025

The Kenyan government has extended the application deadline for the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) and the Universities Fund for first-year students to September 14 (5). Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba directed HELB to grant the two-week extension, which benefits 802,159 students following the disbursement of Ksh23.1 billion in financial support (2). In a separate directive related to education, the Ministry of Education has prohibited all extracurricular activities, including parental attendance at prayer days in schools, for the third term (27). This measure is intended to increase student focus ahead of the upcoming KCSE and KPSEA national examinations (27).