Non-beneficiaries of the Higher Educations Loans will now be getting Compliance Certificates for free following the board’s decision to waive the KSh. 1000 fee that had been traditionally charged for the certificate.

According to HELB, the waiver of the fee for the compliance certificate is aimed at helping jobless youths seeking jobs, saying that the fee has been perceived as punitive for those who did not benefit from the student loans.

CEO Charles Ringera further added that the board had received numerous complaints regarding the fees with some saying that unemployment and under-employment challenges could not allow them to raise the money.

The HELB compliance certificate is among the mandatory documents job seekers looking for jobs in the public service must submit.

Nominated MP Isaac Mwaura has been pushing for the waiver of the numerous fees the government charges job seekers for compliance certificates. These include the HELB Compliance Certificate, Certificate of Good Conduct  and CRB clearance (KSh. 1200) among others.

Mwaura in 2018 filed a petition in the Senate concerning clearances required by the public service boards on application for jobs in Kenya saying they were punitive.

“When you say representation doesn’t matter, it’s good to know that the HELB Kshs 1,000 waiver was achieved after a petition that I presented on behalf of the youth in Kenya. This follows the CRB fees waiver. Thanks HELB for this declaration,” MP Mwaura Tweeted.