KMTC students to benefit from Sh500 million HELB funding as govt reinstates programme

Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) students can now access financial aid after the National Treasury allocated Sh500 million in the 2024/2025 supplementary budget to reinstate the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) sponsorship programme.

Announced as part of the 2024/2025 supplementary budget, the funding will support financially challenged KMTC students.

In a statement, KMTC CEO Kelly Oluoch announced that the HELB sponsorship programme, which had previously been halted due to a government directive, will be reinstated for eligible students.

He said applications will commence once the National Treasury releases the allocated funds, which is anticipated to take a few weeks.

"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," said Oluoch.

Prior to the end of the 2023/2024 financial year, KMTC students had been receiving support through the HELB programme.

However, a directive by the government channelled Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) funds exclusively to institutions under the Ministry of Education.

According to the KMTC CEO, the lack of funding placed a significant burden on students, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

He highlighted the difficulties faced by many students who were unable to continue their training due to financial constraints.

Oluoch emphasised that the absence of financial support severely impacted the students’ educational progress.

"The absence of funding had placed a heavy burden on many of our students, making it difficult for them to continue with their training," said Oluoch.

"This prompted us to engage extensively with key government bodies, including the Parliamentary Committee on Health and the Ministry of Health, to advocate for the reinstatement of the funding," he said.

In response, the KMTC management, with the support of the Ministry of Health, began lobbying key government bodies to reinstate the HELB funding.

Oluoch and his team appeared before various National Assembly committees, including the Pending Bills Verification Committee and the Departmental Committee on Health, to advocate for the return of the HELB programme.

The issue was also presented to President William Ruto during the opening of the KMTC Kerio Valley campus in January.

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The reinstatement of the HELB programme marks a significant win for KMTC students.

Since the programme's introduction in the 2022/2023 financial year, over 22,000 students have benefitted.

"We are pleased to announce that our efforts have borne fruit. The government has allocated Sh500 million for student loans in collaboration with HELB," Oluoch said.