About 20,000 students placed at the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) through the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) fail to report in each placement cycle. KMTC Chief Executive Officer Dr Kelly Oluoch told the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) Committee on Thursday 5 November 2026 that these students discover they are not eligible for government scholarships or loans.
Dr Oluoch appeared before the committee, chaired by Eldama Ravine MP Musa Sirma. The committee was receiving updates on KMTC projects financed through NG-CDF and reviewing the constituencies that host KMTC campuses.
He told MPs that KMTC trains more than 85 per cent of Kenya’s health professionals. Its students face financial difficulty, he said, because KMTC falls under the Ministry of Health and is therefore outside the government funding framework administered through the Ministry of Education.
‘KMTC should not have to leave the Ministry of Health to get funded,’ Dr Oluoch said. He added that national financing legislation should recognise KMTC trainees as post-secondary students who deserve equitable state funding.
Qualified students lose places
Committee members observed that exclusion from government financial assistance means qualified students lose opportunities because they cannot meet the cost of training. They also noted that applicants who could afford the fees missed out because the places had already been allocated.
Proposals from MPs and KMTC
Disclosure on the KUCCPS portal. Kitutu Masaba MP Clive Gisairo proposed that KMTC work with KUCCPS so applicants understand the financial position before they choose courses. He suggested a pop-up message on the KUCCPS portal telling applicants that KMTC courses are self-sponsored.
Wider intervention. Mr Sirma said the exclusion was difficult to justify given KMTC’s role in training most of the country’s healthcare workforce. He said the college should not be left out only because it sits under the Ministry of Health rather than the Ministry of Education.
A funding authority under the National Treasury. Dr Oluoch proposed that the planned Tertiary Education Funding Authority (TEFA) be placed under the National Treasury. He said it would coordinate financing for tertiary institutions across different government departments. Under that structure, eligible students would be recognised by their training needs rather than by the ministry their college falls under.
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What applicants should know
According to KMTC’s CEO, students placed at KMTC through KUCCPS are not eligible for government scholarships or loans. Applicants should check the cost of training before selecting KMTC courses on the KUCCPS portal.