How Africa
Kenya’s Higher Education Loan Board (HELB) is about to add another hurdle to the race to become a Mr. or Mrs. as it works on a policy that will stop any defaulter of a student loan from getting married.
Many people apply for student loans to see them through school and the loans are to be paid back in installments when after being gainfully employed, they begin contributing to the society and therefore make some money.
Some people, however, default on this loan repayment and Kenya’s Higher Education Loan Board is looking for a more innovative means to make sure people pay up.
The Higher Education Loan Board has plans to block couples from getting married until they get an HELB clearance certificate. The CEO of the Higher Education Loans Board, Charles Ringera, has said that the Board is working with the AGs office to compel defaulters to pay loans.
Its new proposal tests out the innovative way to catch defaulters as they will not receive marriage certificates without the HELB clearance. The revelation of the proposal was made by the CEO on Friday while in Eldoret during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the board and Uasin Gishu County.
The Uasin Gishu government agreed to help the lender recover money lent to students who studied at technical colleges in the region. With this promise of help, the governor of the county, Governor Ken Mandago said that contractors seeking tenders from his government will need the HELB clearance before engaging in any business.
He said; “There is no way you will be earning Sh 3Million, yet you do not pay your debts”. With these new stipulations, Kenyans will have to think twice before defaulting on student loan repayments.
