By Leonard Kamugisha Akida
KAMPALA
The Ministry of Education and Sports has given beneficiaries of the Higher Education Students Financing Scheme six months to begin repaying their loans, warning that those who default will be traced through their employers and credit records.
Michael Wanyama, a commissioner for higher education students financing scheme at the ministry, said the recovery drive is intended to sustain the scheme as a revolving fund and enable more financially disadvantaged students to access higher education.
Wanyama said the scheme had so far recovered Sh3.1b from beneficiaries, adding that collections had improved to at least Sh100m per month since July.
“We want those who have gone underground to comply. If you have a job, you can start repaying so that another person in a similar position can also benefit,” he said.
He said beneficiaries are listed with credit reference agencies and that the ministry is working with banks and the Public Service Ministry to recover loans from employed beneficiaries.
Wanyama clarified that the loans have not been fully recovered because repayment extends for several years.
“A student who undertakes a five-year programme, for example, gets a one-year grace period followed by a repayment period of up to 10 years.” Wanyama explained.
Citing out beneficiaries who have cleared their loans to nill balances, Wanyama urged students and parents to begin repaying their loans as soon as money becomes available, or after securing employment.
He made the remarks during the release of beneficiaries for the 2026/27 academic year at Uganda Media Center Kampala on Thursday.
According to the released lists, the ministry received 10,615 applications, up from 7,125 in the previous academic year. However, only 2,790 students were approved for funding after the assessment process.
Acting Education Minister Dr JC Muyingo urged beneficiaries to repay their loans so that other students can benefit from the programme.
“The scheme is designed as a revolving fund. When you repay, you enable Government to extend support to another needy student,” Muyingo said.
Established in 2014, the loan scheme covers tuition, functional and research fees for eligible students pursuing accredited programmes at universities and other tertiary institutions. As of September 2026, the programme had benefited students in 33 universities; 11 public and 22 private chartered universities, as well as other tertiary institutions.
Wanyama said many unsuccessful applicants failed to provide the required documents, while selection was based on academic merit, financial need, vulnerability, gender, geographical considerations and other socio-economic factors.
