MPs wade into KMTC admissions impasse

Kenya: The contest by two ministries to control admissions to the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) has now moved to Parliament.

The ministries of Education and Health are fighting to take charge of students’ allocation to KMTC.

MPs have threatened to amend the law to lock out a new placement agency from admitting students to the college.

The legislators also warned that the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) Chief Executive Officer, John Muraguri, would be censured if he failed to give up placement of KMTC students.

This emerged Wednesday when Ministry of Education officials appeared before the parliamentary committee on Health.

MPs who attended the closed-door meeting told The Standard a Motion would be introduced on the floor to amend relevant sections of the Universities Act that allows KUCCPS to place students in KMTC.

“We are arguing that KMTC is a semi-autonomous Government agency that falls under the Health ministry and not Education,” said the MP who declined to be named for fear of betraying confidentiality.

“We shall amend this law to kick out the new agency because it has no mandate to place students in this college,” said the MP.

Education PS Bellio Kipsang and Muraguri represented the Ministry of Education. The MPs claimed this year’s placement favoured two regions and argued there was no regional balance in the entire exercise.

But sources familiar with the fight say some MPs have a direct interest in the college following a deal they entered with KMTC.

Mr Kipsang however said the meeting was normal "housekeeping business" and downplayed the heat generated by the MPs