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.

Blow to KMTC Students as HELB lacks funds for their fees

Students at the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) have been denied HELB loans due to a deficit in the budget.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba informed lawmakers that the current HELB framework did not allocate funding for KMTC students.

He clarified that not all educational institutions are directly governed by the Ministry of Education.

Some institutions, such as KMTC, receive their funding through other ministries like Health.

Ogamba was present before the National Assembly’s Education and Health Committees.

He disclosed that HELB had been allocated Sh84. 5 billion for this financial year.

Nevertheless, the board requires Sh138. 5 billion to support all qualifying students.

This results in a deficit exceeding Sh54 billion.

Ogamba stated that HELB distributes funds based on information from the institutions affiliated with his ministry.

Since KMTC is under the Ministry of Health, its requirements are not automatically incorporated into HELB’s planning processes.

He pointed out that KMTC received Sh1. 2 billion from HELB in the 2022/2023 financial year.

This funding was facilitated through resources provided by the Ministry of Health.

Before that period, KMTC had received support from USAID via HELB.

From 2014 to 2019, HELB allocated Sh468 million to KMTC students with support from USAID.

Ogamba emphasized that government policy aims to assist all students in higher education.

He remarked that collaboration among ministries is essential to ensure no student is overlooked.

The CS acknowledged that the current framework restricts HELB’s capacity to assist institutions outside his jurisdiction.

He encouraged Parliament to consider a more inclusive budget approach in future plans.

Ogamba further highlighted the importance of institutions providing precise data to enable appropriate funding distributions.

Lawmakers voiced concerns that KMTC students are being unduly excluded.

They urged immediate reforms to facilitate HELB funding for all public training institutions.

The CS reassured the committee that talks were ongoing to optimize the funding processes.

He advised institutions like KMTC to collaborate closely with the Treasury and pertinent ministries.

As funding shortages continue to grow, students continue to shoulder the consequences.

The future of inclusive higher education, MPs cautioned, relies on fair funding systems.