Kenya Medical Training College students have exactly one week to lock in government loans after the Higher Education Loans Board reopened its portal on Wednesday, June 18. Applications close on Monday, June 24, and no paperwork will be accepted after that date.

HELB says the revived kitty is worth KSh500 million, money released by the National Treasury in the April supplementary budget to ease a funding drought that hit medical trainees last year.

“The HELB portal is now open, and students interested in applying for the financial support can do so starting today,” KMTC chief executive Dr Kelly Oluoch announced. “The application window will remain open until June 24, so please take advantage.”

What you need	Why it matters
National ID and KRA PIN	Verifies identity for loan processing
KMTC admission letter	Confirms active enrolment in certificate or diploma course
Signed guarantor form	Binds a parent or guardian to repayments
Uploads via HELB portal (no hard copies)	Makes the entire process paper-free and faster

The loans—capped at a 4 percent annual interest—cover tuition, hostel charges, and day-to-day upkeep. They target more than 60,000 learners spread across 75 KMTC campuses, though officials expect about 22,000 to qualify this cycle based on past uptake.

KMTC students were frozen out of the scheme in the 2023/24 financial year as the government tried to trim spending. That move forced some trainees to defer studies or drop out altogether, triggering months of lobbying by college leaders and MPs.

Treasury’s cash injection—and HELB’s rapid reopening of the portal—now marks a policy U-turn. Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale had promised the rescue in early June, arguing that a country battling staff shortages in hospitals can’t afford to stall its pipeline of nurses and clinical officers.

Parents and students must file applications online only; handwritten forms or campus visits won’t count. Successful applicants will receive award letters by early July, with money hitting college fee accounts ahead of the September semester.