Band 1 — Who Qualifies and What You Actually Receive
Band 1 is for the most financially vulnerable students in Kenya.
If your family is in this band, the government covers almost everything. Your household contribution is the smallest of all five bands. This is the system working exactly as it was designed to work.
Here is everything you need to know about Band 1.
Who qualifies for Band 1
Your household monthly income is at or below KSh 5,995. Your parents or guardians are casual labourers, subsistence farmers, or have no formal employment. You are an orphan with no consistent financial support from a guardian. Your family has no significant assets — no title deed, no vehicle, no formal business. Your household has many dependants relative to income. You come from an arid or semi-arid region with limited economic activity. You are from a household headed by a person with a disability.
Any combination of these factors strengthens a Band 1 assessment.
What Band 1 students receive
Scholarship from Universities Fund: 70 percent of your tuition fees — you never repay this. HELB tuition loan: 25 percent — you repay this after graduation. Household contribution: 5 percent — your family pays this directly. HELB upkeep loan: up to KSh 60,000 per year, paid directly to you each semester for living expenses.
A practical example
Your course costs KSh 120,000 per year. Universities Fund scholarship pays KSh 84,000. HELB tuition loan covers KSh 30,000. Your family pays KSh 6,000. Plus you receive KSh 60,000 in upkeep across the year for food, transport, and daily needs.
What to do if you believe you qualify for Band 1
Be thorough and honest when filling in the HEF portal at hef.co.ke. Document every hardship that applies to your household — orphan status, single parent household, no formal income, large family size, rural location with no economic activity.
Supporting documents strengthen your case significantly. A letter from your chief. Death certificates of deceased parents. Any official document confirming your household situation.
The government has the data but they also review what you submit. Give them the full picture.
Do not undersell your family's hardship. If Band 1 is your reality, make sure your application reflects that reality completely.
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