Kenya Students to Receive HELB Loans Directly to Their M-PESA Accounts

Telco Safaricom and HELB have announced two key partnerships today. The first one is the launch of the HELB Mobile Wallet and HELB M-PESA Mini App.

The wallet will see students in higher education institutions receive part of their HELB funds directly to their M-PESA accounts.

The HELB Mini App will see beneficiaries manage their HELB accounts.

Mini apps are services that are integrated into the M-PESA super app. This allows customers to access these services by not leaving the app, which further means that they don’t have to download an additional app for the same function.

Here is what you can do with the HELB Mini App:

• Access HELB upkeep.
• Withdraw funds.
• Repay loans.
• Apply for subsequent loans.
• View loan status.
• Access loan statements.

The mini app is available for both Android and iOS users.

The mini app can be accessed from the Services tab in the app.

Deposits to the wallet, as well as repayments will not incur any charges.

How to Register HELB Mini App

Beneficiaries who have already registered their mobile phone numbers with HELB will then key in their phone number upon which they will receive a code to activate the Mini App and set a PIN for subsequent access.

Recipients yet to register their mobile number with HELB will need to key in a phone number registered to the same National ID linked to their HELB account to connect their numbers and activate the Mini App. 

Beneficiaries of the HELB loan will be given the choice to receive their upkeep portion through M-PESA or other mobile wallets. The option will be available for first-year students applying for the loan, and later on, for existing beneficiaries in their second year or beyond.

Safaricom and HELB are collaborating to include other mobile money services in the wallet for students to receive their funds. This feature will be launched in the next few months.

More than 1.3 million Kenyans have since received loans from HELB. The Board has disbursed over KES 147 billion since its launch.

Quotes

“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 – HELB.

“We are honoured to be HELB’s partner of choice to deliver innovations that meet the evolving needs of their customers in a rapidly digitising 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 – Safaricom.