The Kenya School of Law (KSL) has announced that students joining the Advocates Training Programme (ATP) for the 2025/2026 academic year will not get HELB student loans.
This decision has therefore, left many students uncertain about how they will finance their education going forward.
The ATP will start on February 10, 2025. KSL opened applications in August 2024, giving students until October 31, 2024, to submit their applications.
In 2021, KSL created the Legal Education Fund to help ATP students pay tuition. The Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) managed the fund on behalf of KSL.
See also S.A recovers 36 bodies, arrests 82 survivors from illegal mine
However, on January 14, KSL Director Henry Mutai announced that the school could not offer this financial assistance for the upcoming academic year.
The sudden stop explained
Director Mutai explained the decision, citing the government’s ongoing budget challenges as the main reason.
He also warned that funding might remain unavailable until 2026, leaving students without support for at least a year.
The KSL director’s notice stated, “Due to the ongoing budgetary constraints facing the government, the school could not allocate resources to replenish the Fund this financial year.
Consequently, we regret to inform incoming ATP students for the 2025/2026 academic year that the school will not be able to provide any tuition loans.”
This news has caused disappointment among prospective students, especially since it comes at a time when the cost of education continues to rise.
The announcement followed HELB’s January 13 statement about loans and bursaries for students enrolled in Kenya Accountants and Secretaries National Examinations Board (KASNEB) programs.
HELB confirmed that the scheme would cover fees for tuition, registration, exams, renewals, and exemptions for students attending KASNEB-accredited institutions. Both new and continuing KASNEB students qualify for these loans and bursaries.
While KASNEB students gain financial support, ATP students at KSL face uncertainty. This gap in funding highlights the government’s financial struggles and the challenges students face in pursuing higher education.
