The Nursing Scholarship Fund was established in 2016 in partnership with the Ministry of Health and the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) to further complement Government’s efforts towards increasing access to quality maternal health services in Arid and Semi-Arid Land (ASAL) Counties through the training of enrolled community health nurses. The Scholarship Fund targets students from vulnerable and marginalized groups and arid and semi-arid (ASAL) counties.

The objective of the program is, “to improve utilization and quality of Primary Health Care services with a focus on reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health services” as well as bridge the gap in human resources for health”.

To date, the program has been funded by World Bank and Roche sponsoring 1,454 beneficiaries for a two-year certificate course in enrolled community health nursing at the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC). The first cohort of 400 beneficiaries was sponsored under the Kenya Health Sector Support Project, while the second and third cohort of 800 beneficiaries was sponsored under the Transforming Health Systems for Universal Care Project. The fourth cohort of 124 beneficiaries was supported by Roche.

The current March 2024 cohort of 130 beneficiaries funded by Roche are admitted in eight KMTC campuses; Kitui, Garissa, Loitokitok, Bomet, Kapenguria, Kabarnet, Kilifi and Msambweni.

Upon graduation, majority of the students are employed by county governments and work in far flung facilities within their communities offering comprehensive reproductive and maternal health services.