The Kenya School of Law (KSL) has announced that students enrolling in the Advocates Training Programme (ATP) for the 2025/2026 academic year will not be eligible for student loans from the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB). This decision comes as a result of current budgetary constraints faced by the government.
The ATP, a crucial step for individuals seeking to become advocates in Kenya, is scheduled to begin on February 10, 2025. Applications for the programme opened in August 2024, with the deadline for submissions closing on October 31, 2024.
In an effort to support students undertaking the ATP, the Kenya School of Law established the Legal Education Fund in 2021. The fund, which is administered by HELB, was designed to assist students with their tuition fees. However, KSL Director Henry Mutai announced on January 14, 2025, that due to financial constraints, the school will not be able to offer any loans through this fund for the upcoming academic year.
In his notice, Mutai explained that the government’s ongoing budget challenges had prevented the replenishment of the Legal Education Fund, making it impossible for KSL to provide tuition assistance through HELB this year. The statement read, in part: “Unfortunately, due to the current budgetary constraints being experienced by the government, the school was unable to set aside any resources to replenish the Fund in the current financial year. As a result, we regret to inform our incoming ATP students for the academic year 2025/2026 that the school is not able to offer any tuition loan.”
This development means that prospective students of the 2025/2026 ATP will need to seek alternative funding options to finance their education at KSL.
