The government has reinstated the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) sponsorship programme for Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) students.
KMTC CEO Kelly Oluoch announced today that the Treasury has allocated Ksh 500 million in the 2024/25 supplementary budget to support needy students financially.
“This means we will go ahead and ask the Treasury to release the funds. Once the money reaches our bank, which may take a few weeks, we will ask HELB to open the portal for students to apply,” he stated.
Oluoch described the move as a relief for thousands of students who had been struggling financially after government funding was redirected exclusively to Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) under the Ministry of Education.
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He noted that KMTC students previously benefited from HELB support until the end of the 2023/2024 Financial Year when the funding was discontinued.
He pointed out that the absence of financial aid had made it difficult for many students to continue their training.
To push for the reinstatement of funding, KMTC engaged key government bodies, including the Parliamentary Committee on Health and the Ministry of Health.
“We are pleased to announce that our efforts have borne fruit. The Government has allocated Kshs 500 million for student loans in collaboration with HELB,” he added.
Since the programme’s inception in the 2022/23 Financial Year, 22,342 KMTC students have benefited from HELB funding.
By Joseph Mambili
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