KMTC says 20,000 students miss training slots each intake over fees

The Kenya Medical Training College says students placed through the national system forfeit their places because they cannot afford fees and lack state loans or scholarships.

What happened

The Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) has told Parliament that approximately 20,000 students placed in its campuses through KUCCPS fail to take up their admission slots in every intake cycle, because they cannot afford the training fees [1][3]. CEO Dr Kelly Oluoch gave the figures to the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) Committee on Thursday, November 5 [1]. He asked MPs to help secure HELB financing for KMTC trainees, who currently lack access to government scholarships and student loans [1][2].

Dr Oluoch said KMTC should not have to leave the Ministry of Health to get funded, and that national financing legislation should recognise its trainees as post-secondary students deserving equitable state funding [1][2].

Why Kenyans are searching for it

The sources do not explain why searches for Kenya Medical Training College are rising. They report the parliamentary appearance and the admissions problem, but do not link either to a specific surge in interest.

Key facts

• KMTC has 89,586 students and, according to Dr Oluoch, trains more than 85 per cent of Kenya's healthcare workforce [1][2].
• KMTC operates under the Ministry of Health rather than the Ministry of Education, which oversees the existing higher education funding arrangements [1].
• KMTC students are excluded from the Ksh300 billion education financing package [3].
• KUCCPS reported that KMTC had 34,048 places available in 2025 [1].
• Dr Oluoch argued that KMTC should stay under the Health Ministry because its programmes involve extensive clinical training, hospital attachments and specialised regulatory bodies [1][3].
• Hon. Clive Gisairo proposed that KMTC and KUCCPS introduce a declaration of ability to pay fees before placement, plus a disclaimer that KMTC courses receive no government funding [2].

What to watch

• Whether Parliament acts on the request to secure HELB financing for KMTC trainees. The sources do not report a decision.
• Whether KMTC and KUCCPS adopt the proposed fee declaration and portal message. The sources do not say whether this will happen.
• The 20,000 figure is described as approximate in some sources [1][3]. None of the sources gives a detailed breakdown of it.

Sources

1. [1] KMTC CEO Reveals Why 20,000 Students Miss Slots Despite KUCCPS Placement - Kenyans.co.ke
2. [2] KMTC seeks HELB funding as 20,000 students forfeit training slots over fees | KBC Digital - KBC Digital
3. [3] Why 20,000 students are forfeiting their dream medical careers every year - Pulse Kenya

Compiled by the NairobiCity trend desk from the sources above.