The Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) Chief Executive Officer, Dr Kelly Oluoch, has announced the return of the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) for its students after the release of Ksh500 million by the National Treasury.
Speaking on Wednesday, June 18, Oluoch stated that the disbursement would go a long way in helping needy students of the institution, at least in the short term.
He further asked deserving students to apply for the loans on the HELP portal, which will be open until June 24.
“The HELB portal is now open, and students interested in applying for the financial support can do so starting today. The application window will remain open until June 24, 2025,” he said.
This is the first time the KMTC students will be receiving HELB support after Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale took on the ministry and promised that they would be brought back into the scheme.
KMTC students were beneficiaries of HELB loans until the 2023/2024 financial year, after which they were removed as part of austerity measures the government was undertaking to reduce expenditure.
This cut left many students who relied on HELB to fund their education struggling to finance their education and other related expenses.
“The absence of this crucial support placed a significant strain on our students, threatening their ability to continue with training,” Oluoch stated.
“This compelled the College to intensify engagements with key institutions, including the Ministry of Health and the Parliamentary Committee on Health, to advocate for the reinstatement of the funding."
The Ksh500 million allocation, which was made in the 2024/2025 supplementary budget, was confirmed in March by Oluoch, who at the time believed that the funds would get to the students in 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,” Oluoch had said.
University students, on the other hand, also continue to receive HELB loans after the courts temporarily halted the government's plan to replace it with the new university funding model.
