The Weekly Vision Team
The Chief Executive Officer of the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), Charles Ringera, has been sent home, although authorities claim he has only proceeded on normal leave. The move comes in the wake of a storm over the new university funding model, dubbed the Variable Scholarships and Loans Funding (VSLF) introduced by President William Ruto, which experts say lacks practicability and may not succeed.
There has been an overwhelming uproar from students, lecturers, educators, and parents over the new funding model amid calls for its scrapping. Insiders at the Ministry of Education, State House, and HELB say that Ringera’s exit is connected to the crisis that is bedevilling the new funding model, and he is said to have been one of the brains behind it.
Sources say fingers are being pointed at Ringera for the confusion engulfing the model, which has seen contracting positions being issued by various government officials, including President Ruto himself and Higher Education Principal Secretary Beatrice Inyangala. Though HELB chairman Ekwe Ethuro says Ringera has been asked to clear his pending 30 leave days, eyebrows have been raised over the timing of the decision given the fact that the CEO is expected to proceed on the mandatory three-month terminal leave ahead of his retirement in February next year.
More questions were raised when Ringera’s bodyguard, official driver, and official vehicles were withdrawn immediately after he was served with the letter, a day after he had been locked out of a crucial meeting convened by President Ruto at Eldoret State House over the university funding model. Ringera, who was asked to begin the said leave on August 22, 2024, is scheduled to leave office at the end of February in 2025. Ringera is therefore scheduled to finish his 30 pending normal annual leave days around mid-November before commencing the mandatory terminal leave that ends mid-February.
Reached for comment, Ringera also downplayed the matter, saying it was “a normal leave” before referring us to the HELB chairman. “As far as I am concerned, it is a normal leave, but you can get more details from the HEB chairman who is mandated to speak over such issues,” Ringera said before hanging up.
