The Ministry of Health has started talks with the Treasury to restore the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) funding for students at the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC).
On Tuesday, KMTC’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Kelly Oluoch, shared that Health Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa is actively engaging with the National Treasury and key Parliamentary Committees to bring back this important financial support.
In the past, KMTC students were able to access HELB loans, but the funding was discontinued at the end of the 2023/2024 financial year as part of the government’s austerity measures.
These budget cuts and strict cost-cutting policies left many students without the necessary financial assistance for their medical studies.
During a visit to Bondo KMTC, CEO Kelly Oluoch expressed concern about the negative impact of this funding gap on students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
He explained that these students were particularly hard hit, as they had limited options to continue their medical education without financial help.
Oluoch also pointed out that President William Ruto had issued a directive last year instructing that the HELB funding be reinstated in the new financial year, which will begin in July 2025. “As a College, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, we will continue to engage with the National Treasury to ensure this important commitment is met,” Oluoch said.
In addition to promising the return of the HELB funding for students, the KMTC CEO urged both students and staff to work together in advancing the College’s Strategic Plan.
This plan aims to position KMTC as a competitive institution on the global stage for healthcare training.
At the same time, the Ministry of Health’s efforts to restore funding come amid an ongoing financial crisis for university students.
HELB had withheld funding for students after a case was filed in the High Court challenging a new funding model.
However, on January 3, HELB was compelled to revert to its previous system of distributing funds after a protest from students at Anniversary Towers in Nairobi.
Students, mostly from the University of Nairobi and Kenyatta University, had been protesting the delayed disbursement of their loans, which had severely impacted their studies.
Speaking to the protesters, HELB’s lending manager, King’ori Ndegwa, announced that first and second-year students would receive their funds according to the old system.
He also confirmed that Ksh 3.1 billion had already been disbursed to students.
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