Kakamega also partnered with MMUST by facilitating them to put up a medical school, further enhancing the pool of medical staff that will populate the county in the near future and provide vital services. A similar programme with JKUAT is ongoing, with the county Government having availed land for the construction of a technical tertiary institution.
These programmes became very popular in the county, thanks to HELB’s good systems in creating awareness and opening up their portal for access by the county. Last year the county maintained their funding and had 6,180 applicants from Kakamega, many more than they could afford to finance. Having HELB on board has helped tremendously because they work closely to find a way of securing those who have started working and the repayments have significantly improved, despite the challenge of job scarcity in the face of a pandemic.
As more beneficiaries secure jobs and repay, the county is also building more health facilities that will in turn require more manpower, thus create employment.