The Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) has asked Members of Parliament to obtain Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) financing for its students, saying exclusion from state funding is causing thousands of qualified candidates to give up their training places.

During a hearing before the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG‑CDF) Committee, chaired by Hon. Musa Sirma, KMTC’s chief executive Dr. Kelly Oluoch highlighted that the college trains more than 85 percent of Kenya’s health workforce but its 89,586 students struggle to access government financial support because KMTC is placed under the Ministry of Health rather than the Ministry of Education.

Dr. Oluoch warned that the funding gap is already creating a crisis in admissions, with 20,000 students placed through the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) failing to report each cycle after learning there is no government scholarship or loan for KMTC courses.

Committee members noted that the situation results in a double loss: students who cannot afford fees surrender their slots, while other qualified applicants miss opportunities because those slots have already been allocated.

Hon. Clive Gisairo (Kitutu Masaba) suggested that KMTC and KUCCPS introduce a pre‑placement declaration of ability to pay fees, and add a disclaimer on the KUCCPS portal warning that KMTC courses are self‑sponsored.

Hon. Musa Sirma backed the college’s request, questioning why an institution that trains the bulk of the nation’s health workers should be left out of the Ksh 300 billion education financing package.

Dr. Oluoch defended KMTC’s placement under the Ministry of Health, citing the clinical nature of its training, which relies on hospital attachments, clinical preceptors and health regulatory bodies.

He also pointed to other specialised colleges – Bukura Agricultural College, Kenya Water Institute and Utalii College – that remain under sectoral ministries as precedents for KMTC’s organisational alignment.

To ensure equitable funding across ministries, the KMTC CEO proposed that the forthcoming Tertiary Education Funding Authority (TEFA) be positioned under the National Treasury rather than a specific ministry.