The Treasury has allocated Kshs 500 million to the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) for the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) sponsorship program.
Students at KMTC can now feel relieved as the government has reinstated the HELB sponsorship initiative. The college will receive Kshs 500 million from the 2024/2025 supplementary budget to assist students in financial need.
“We will request the Treasury to release the funds. Once the money is deposited into our account, which may take a few weeks, we will ask HELB to open the application portal for students,” stated CEO Dr. Kelly Oluoch.
Until the end of the 2023/2024 financial year, KMTC students were receiving HELB support. However, a government directive to allocate Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) funds solely to institutions under the Ministry of Education left many KMTC students without financial assistance.
“The lack of funding has placed a significant burden on many of our students, making it challenging for them to continue their training,” Dr. Oluoch remarked.
“This situation prompted us to engage extensively with key government entities, including the Parliamentary Committee on Health and the Ministry of Health, to advocate for the restoration of funding,” he added.
Dr. Oluoch noted that the college, through the Ministry of Health, presented its case to various committees in the National Assembly, including the Pending Bills Verification Committee on January 29, 2024, and the Departmental Committee on Health on February 23, 2024, to push for the program’s reinstatement.
Additionally, the CEO, along with Board Chairperson Mr. Joseah K. Cheruiyot, brought the issue to the attention of H.E. President Dr. William Ruto during the official opening of the KMTC Kerio Valley Campus on January 9, 2025.
“We are happy to announce that our efforts have been successful. The government has allocated Kshs 500 million for student loans in partnership with HELB,” he said.
Since the program began in the 2022/2023 financial year, 22,342 KMTC students have benefited from it.
