Kenyans fault Amina's threat to arrest Helb loan defaulters
Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed has warned Helb defaulters that law enforcement agencies will track them down in bid to recover Sh7.2 billion. PHOTO | KANYIRI WAHITO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
Kenyans ask Education ministry to find alternative ways of recovering the money.
Others suggested ways of improving the hunt for loan defaulters.
Kenyans have expressed their rage on social media following Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed’s threat that the Higher Education Loans Board loan defaulters would be arrested and jailed.
Ms Mohamed on Wednesday said that Helb would collaborate with the police as well as employers to hunt down beneficiaries of the student funding who are reluctant to service their loans.
About Sh7.2 billion is yet to be recovered from the loan defaulters. Kenyans on Twitter however, asked Education ministry to find alternative ways of recovering the money.
Al Kags @alkags suggested that money lost to corruption scandals should be recovered before Helb defaulters are arrested.
“This rather makes sense, doesn’t it? Sh7.2 billion is only a small fraction of any one of the corruption scandals we have seen lately. That’s what government should start with,” he said.
JOBLESS YOUTH
“Jobless youth owe the government Sh7Billion. The population census will cost us Sh15Billion. Let the government give the census job to the jobless youth, deduct the Sh7Billion on completion and pay them the remaining Sh8Billion,” Alex Wekesa wamalwa @prof_wekesa posited.
Others suggested ways of improving the hunt for loan defaulters.
Daniel M. Ndunda @danmwesh10 said, “Instead of wasting time and more government resources partnering with the CID department to hunt us, why not give us a date on which we should report to the nearby police station? Am also tired of applying for jobs Hii chakula ya jela inakaa kua tamu.”
“Only degree holding police should hunt us down if it's a must they do,” Omukhale Wandabusi @OmukhaleNeville added.
REPAY LOANS
Tom Muema @1tommuema posted that, “I think CS Amina Mohamed is taking this issue too far…the degrees Helb funded are not helping us in anyway… no jobs and you tell us to repay the loans? Anyway, give us a day we bring the degrees to your offices.”
Local celebrities also had something to say.
“Sasa utafungwa coz u took loan to facilitate your education??? I thought education is the KEY… inafaa kufungua sio kufunga,” posted local musician Daddy Owen @daddyowenmusic.
“So the government arrests you for defaulting #HELB, later on after serving your sentence, when you want to get employed. Your certificate of good conduct fails you. No company can risk employing an ex-convict. You are rendered jobless for the rest of your miserable life,” observed Eugene Wangs @WangsEugene.
