Likuyani Digest | Ground Reality
Barasa’s Opportunistic Return of County HELB
When Governor Fernandes Barasa entered office in 2022, one of the quiet casualties was the Kakamega County HELB loan scheme that many students had relied on during the Oparanya years.
For nearly four years, the programme remained dead. Students who needed that extra county support were left to struggle with national HELB alone or drop out.
Now, with the 2027 elections approaching, the same County HELB is suddenly being revived.
The pattern is familiar in Kenyan politics: ignore a group for most of the term, then remember them when their votes are required.
This is not education policy. It is election-year calculation.
Students who suffered between 2022 and 2025 are now being dangled a facility that should never have been removed in the first place.
Questions on the ground:
Why was Kakamega County HELB stopped after Barasa took over?
Why has it taken almost four years to bring it back?
Is this genuine support or a campaign tool?
Will the scheme survive after the 2027 elections, or will it disappear again?
Students deserve consistent support — not seasonal attention when a governor needs votes.
Stay informed. Stay ahead.
#LikuyaniDigest #GroundReality #Barasa #KakamegaHELB
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