The County Government of Uasin is calling on beneficiaries of sponsorships from the County Education Revolving Fund to honour their repayments so as to keep the loaning program active and functional.

The County Government through the County Education Revolving Fund is running a program that pays fees for youth across Uasin Gishu, to access and attend classes in technical institutions. The monies are supposed to be repaid as soon as the beneficiary is employed.

Speaking as she received six beneficiaries of sponsorship to the Kenya Medical Training College, Chief Officer for Youth, Nahum Jelagat Tirop, said it is important for beneficiaries to honour their repayments as soon as they get employed. The six are among the 60 who are fresh from completing clinical medicine.

The model of this fund is that when you are sponsored you repay so that more and more youth can be able to go to class through it. It is therefore important for our beneficiaries to repay,” she said.

“The Governor is very passionate about youth empowerment. It is a collective responsibility to keep this fund (afloat) to benefit more and more of our young people,” the Chief Officer, adds.

Director for County Revolving Fund, Joel Ruto, said the Fund relies on repayment as a sustaining factor. “This is a loan to help needy students advance their academics, so beneficiaries must repay as soon as they can, to sustain this program and as a result, benefit more.”

The County Government has so spent over Sh 270 million on payment of fees to Kenya Medical Training College. Through the fund, about 3000 youth have had their fee paid in many colleges and institutions, including agricultural training colleges. The fund sponsors youth to study technical courses.

Abraham Kimutai is a beneficiary who attended and completed a medical course from Bungoma KMTC. He says: “The funds enabled us to begin and complete our academics and we humbly thank the County Government for the help.”

Ms Tirop hinted at plans by her department to draft a placement policy. The plan will make the county government reach into partnerships with private health providers for the employment of graduates of health-related courses.