About 20,000 students placed in Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) campuses fail to report for admission during each intake because they cannot afford the fees, the institution’s chief executive has told Parliament.
KMTC Chief Executive Officer Dr Kelly Oluoch said the college continues to lose thousands of potential trainees despite the students securing places through the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS).
He made the disclosure on Thursday, November 5, while appearing before the National Government Constituencies Development Fund Committee, where he asked MPs to help secure government funding for KMTC students through the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB).
Oluoch said the trainees are currently not covered by the government’s existing scholarship and student loan arrangements, leaving many unable to join the college after receiving admission letters.
He explained that KMTC falls under the Ministry of Health, while the current higher education funding system is managed through the Ministry of Education. This has left its students outside the financing arrangements available to learners in other public institutions.
The CEO told MPs that KMTC has 89,586 students and trains more than 85 per cent of Kenya’s healthcare workforce.
He argued that the college should continue operating under the Health Ministry because its courses involve clinical training, hospital attachments and oversight by specialised health regulatory bodies.
“KMTC should not have to leave the Ministry of Health to get funded. National financing legislation should recognise KMTC trainees as post-secondary students deserving equitable state funding,” he said.
Oluoch also pointed to other specialised institutions, including Bukura Agricultural College, Kenya Water Institute and Utalii College, which operate under ministries responsible for their respective sectors.
The funding gap also affects students who could have taken up the places left vacant by applicants unable to pay fees.
During the meeting, Kitutu Masaba MP Clive Gisairo proposed that KUCCPS clearly indicate on its application portal that KMTC courses are self-sponsored and do not currently attract government funding.
There have been thousands of spaces for allocation in the placement process. For example, in March 2026, KUCCPS announced a total of 21,774 spaces in 36 KMTC courses and 98 campuses.
Oluoch recommended that the newly set up TEFA should be under the National Treasury, thus enabling students in specialized institutions to be able to get financial support irrespective of which ministry runs the colleges.
The recommendation was aimed at solving funding problems that affect students in institutions that do not fit into the financing arrangement of higher education.
