The HELB Manenoz And Where Our Parents Come In

By Chris Omondi

For many university students, few messages are as exciting as the notification that HELB money has finally arrived. After days or weeks of checking bank accounts and mobile-money balances, asking friends whether they have received their money and wondering when their turn will come, the notification can feel like a small victory. For a moment, financial pressure seems to disappear. There is food to buy, rent to think about, internet to pay for and perhaps a few things that have been missing from the student's room for months. Then there is something else that comes with the money: independence.

For a student living away from home, having money in their own account can create a feeling of being in control. It can mean making financial decisions without having to explain every purchase to a parent or guardian. But that freedom comes with a question that many students only confront after the excitement has passed:How long will the money last?

The waiting can be stressful

Before the money arrives, students go through another side of the HELB experience — waiting. Students compare information with their friends, check their accounts repeatedly and ask whether disbursements have started. For those depending heavily on the money for their daily needs, a delay can be more than an inconvenience. It can mean postponing purchases, borrowing from friends, accumulating debts or depending more heavily on parents and guardians. Kenya has seen student protests over delayed HELB disbursements. In February 2025, students from Kenyatta University protested over delayed funds, while University of Nairobi students went to HELB offices demanding the release of their money. The protests came amid uncertainty surrounding the country's new higher-education funding model.

The episode showed just how closely university life can be tied to student financing. For students who depend on upkeep money for basic needs, waiting can become a source of considerable anxiety.

Then comes the notification

And finally, the message arrives. The money is there. The first reaction is often relief. For some students, however, the arrival of HELB money is not simply about meeting academic needs. It can also feel like an opportunity to improve their lives away from home. That is where priorities begin to differ. One student may immediately think about rent. Another may think about food. Someone else may want to buy a mattress, pillows, mosquito nets, cooking equipment or other household items. For me, the arrival of HELB money can create the temptation to improve my living space.

A new mattress, pillows, mosquito nets, food and other household necessities may seem like reasonable purchases. There is also the desire to have a decent-looking room, somewhere friends can visit without the place feeling like a constant reminder that one is a struggling student. Each purchase can appear small and necessary. But several small purchases can quickly become one large expense. Before long, a substantial part of the money can be gone.

The independence question

There is another side to receiving the money: parents. Some students do not immediately tell their parents when their HELB money arrives. That does not necessarily mean they do not value their parents. For some, it is about independence. University is often the first period in which young people have to make significant financial decisions on their own. The money arriving in their own account can therefore feel like a test: Can I manage this myself? There can also be a desire to prove that one is growing up. Instead of calling home to explain every expense, some students prefer to decide for themselves how the money should be used.

But independence can sometimes create a false sense of financial security. A student may feel financially comfortable because a lump sum has arrived, only to discover that the same money has to support them for many weeks. HELB itself advises students to manage their loans prudently, noting that the money should help cater for needs such as accommodation, books, stationery and subsistence the whole semester.

One student, one router, one disappearing balance

For another student, the priority was connectivity. After receiving HELB money, the student bought a Wi-Fi router and paid for several months of internet. At the time, the decision made sense. University students increasingly depend on internet access for research, assignments, communication and entertainment. But after paying for the router and internet, the student also spent part of the remaining money going out with friends. When the student later checked the account, the balance was much lower than expected. The shock was not necessarily caused by one major purchase. It was the accumulation of several decisions.

That is how money can disappear. Not always in one dramatic transaction, but through a series of expenses that individually appear manageable.

A student stressed up after squandering his HELB upkeep. Photo from Pinterest.

When HELB meets social life

University is not only about lectures and assignments. There is also friendship, entertainment and relationships. For some students, part of their upkeep money goes towards meeting friends, eating out or attending social activities. For students in relationships, spending can take another direction. A meal, an outing or a date may appear to be an ordinary expense, but repeated spending can become significant. During occasions such as Valentine's Day, for example, some students may feel pressure to spend money on their partners. There is sometimes an expectation that showing affection should involve spending.

The pressure can become even greater when students compare their relationships with what they see around them. A student may begin spending not simply because they can afford it, but because they feel they have to keep up. And when the money eventually runs out, the relationship does not necessarily stop requiring time and resources.

Sharing the burden

For students living together, money can also become a shared responsibility. Some university couples combine their resources to keep their household running. One partner may contribute towards rent while the other buys food, internet or household supplies. Roommates can do something similar. One person may buy cooking gas while another contributes towards food. Someone may pay for internet while others contribute later. In such situations, HELB money does not remain entirely individual. It can become part of a small financial system involving several people. That can help students survive. But it can also make the money disappear faster.

The more responsibilities attached to one person's share of the money, the more difficult it becomes to stretch it across the semester.

Not everyone spends it the same way

There are also students who approach the money differently. Some save part of it. Others invest. Some use a portion to support their parents or siblings. Others put money into small businesses or income-generating activities. The differences reveal something important about HELB upkeep. The same amount of money can have completely different meanings depending on a student's circumstances. For one student, it may represent food for several weeks. For another, it may mean rent. For someone else, it may provide an opportunity to buy equipment or start something that can generate additional income.

The money therefore does not simply enter a student's account and disappear. It enters a complicated environment of needs, expectations, ambitions and temptations.

And then the balance reaches zero

The real test comes when the money is gone. The semester does not end with it. Lectures continue. Assignments still have deadlines. Food is still required. Rent still needs to be paid. Transport, internet, printing, academic materials and other expenses continue. That is when some students begin to experience the consequences of earlier decisions. The excitement of receiving the money can be replaced by anxiety about the next few weeks. The student who wanted independence may suddenly find themselves calling home again. The student who wanted to prove they could manage alone may need assistance.

The student who spent freely at the beginning of the semester may start calculating every remaining coin. And that is where the original question returns:Who can help now?

The importance of parents does not disappear

For students who receive HELB money, there can be a temptation to think that they no longer need financial support from home. But receiving a loan does not automatically mean becoming completely financially independent. Parents and guardians can remain an important support system. Senior students often understand this better because they have experienced several semesters of university life. They know that the beginning of the semester can create a dangerous illusion. There is money in the account. The student feels comfortable. Plans are made. Purchases follow. Then weeks pass. The balance falls.

Eventually, the reality of the semester becomes clear. Financial independence therefore does not necessarily mean refusing help. It can mean learning how to make responsible decisions while understanding when help is needed.

For university students, the arrival of HELB upkeep money brings relief, excitement and a taste of independence. But when the money disappears, the semester continues — and so does the question of who will help next.

The bigger question: financial literacy

This raises another question: Are students adequately prepared to manage lump-sum financial support? The problem is not always that students deliberately waste their money. Sometimes they simply have many needs competing for the same amount. A student who has spent months without a proper mattress may reasonably decide to buy one when money arrives. Another who has been depending on expensive mobile data may reasonably choose to pay for Wi-Fi. Someone who has been unable to afford certain meals may finally eat better. Another may have family members who need assistance.

The difficulty is that all these decisions can be reasonable individually while becoming financially difficult when combined. HELB's student guidance includes financial-literacy elements and advises students to manage their funds prudently. The lesson, therefore, may not simply be that students should stop spending. It may be that students need to understand how to prioritise.

The money is temporary; the semester is not

Perhaps the most important lesson of HELB money is simple: The money arrives at one point, but the needs continue. A student may receive a lump sum and feel rich for a few days. But university life is measured in weeks and months, not in the excitement of one notification. The challenge is therefore not only receiving the money. It is making decisions that allow it to serve its purpose for as long as possible. That could mean separating essential expenses from optional ones. It could mean setting aside money for food and accommodation before spending on social activities.

It could mean saving a small amount rather than assuming another source of money will always appear. And it could mean remembering that asking parents for help is not necessarily a failure.

A lesson beyond HELB

HELB has become part of the university experience for many Kenyan students. Its arrival can mean relief. Its delay can create anxiety. Its availability can create a feeling of independence. And its disappearance can bring students back to the reality that university life is expensive. Whatever the amount a student receives, the same challenge remains: making it serve several competing needs. The money can buy a mattress. It can pay for Wi-Fi. It can provide food. It can help with rent. It can support a family member. It can fund an outing.

It can strengthen a relationship. It can even provide the beginning of a small investment. But once it is gone, none of those needs disappear. The semester continues. The lectures continue. The assignments continue. And eventually, the student may find themselves reaching for the phone again. Not to check whether HELB has arrived. But to ask someone at home: “Mum, Dad, can you send me 'something'?”