NAIROBI, Kenya Sep 3 – The government has extended the application window for tertiary education funding for first-time university students and TVET trainees to September 21, 2026.In a press statement dated September 3, 2026, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said the initial application window closed on August 31, with 789,422 applications received.The government has already disbursed Sh22.12 billion in first-semester/term funding to continuing university students and TVET trainees.The extension follows concerns that some eligible first-time students and trainees may have failed to apply before the initial deadline for various reasons.The Universities Fund and the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) have consequently been directed to extend the application period to September 21.“All eligible first-time applicants in universities and TVETs are invited to promptly apply for funding within this extended window,” Ogamba said.The CS clarified that applications from first-time applicants will be assessed and processed under the current Student-Centred Funding Model.He added that transitional mechanisms to the Universal Access and Funding Framework will be implemented once Parliament passes the Tertiary Education Placement and Funding Bill, 2026.