The Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) Board of Directors has granted the newly established Teso Campus permission to start admissions in March 2021.
The campus located at Kocholya in Teso North constituency received a clean bill of health to operate, following Monday’s commissioning by the KMTC Board of Directors Chairman Professor Philip Kaloki and Busia Governor Sospeter Ojaamong.
Kaloki said the new campus brings the total number of KMTC campuses to two in Busia County and 72 across the country.
“The KMTC board of directors is very pleased with this project and we have agreed to accept it as one of our campuses. We are going to officially open it for first admissions in March this year,”he stated.
He lauded Teso North legislator Oku Kaunya for offering to sponsor the first batch of 120 students through the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) to the tune of Sh15 million.
The chairman said the KMTC board will offer the Teso North community a special
consideration during the March intake so that many students from the constituency can be admitted.
“The board is ready to consider 50% admission for the local community but for March intake, we will admit 100% of locals who will apply,” he said.
Kaloki who said the new campus is in line with President Uhuru Kenyatta’s agenda on Universal Health Coverage noted that it will additionally foster development in the area and improve the socio-economic status of the local community through employment, real
estate and businesses.
Governor Ojaamong hailed the area MP for the multi-million NG-CDF project saying his administration is ready to work closely with all the seven Members of Parliament to foster development in the County.
He said the county will upgrade Kocholya Sub County hospital to level five so that it can offer a favourable training environment for students set to join the new campus.
“Kocholia Sub County Hospital currently has state of the art equipment. We shall inject Sh 6O million for its upgrading to Level 5 status to enable students from the new campus to undertake their practicals and attachment,” he said.
Kaunya said the NG-CDF invested Sh 45million for the first phase of the project and is set to invest Sh 30million for the second phase in this financial year. He said the NG-CDF will be sponsoring fully the first of 120 students to kick-start the campus.
“We are paying fully for the students and we shall inject a total of Sh15 million. Through our Parliamentary departmental committees on Health and that of Finance we have been allocated Sh12 million to build a hostel,” he said.
He appealed to the local community to ensure their children apply for the various medical courses to be offered at the college.
“I believe empowering the community starts with empowering the youth and empowering the youth starts with giving them skills,” he stated adding that the college will tremendously transform the area socio-economically.
Local community members who spoke at the event hailed the MP for the initiative saying it will transform the area’s status as they are set to construct accommodation facilities and open up businesses targeting the students.
by Melechezedeck Ejakait
