Utalii College sets up shop at the Coast

By Philip Mwakio

Kenya’s premier hospitality training institution, Kenya Utalii College (KUC), has finally landed at the Coast. KUC has opened its first satellite campus in Mombasa, which is set to admit its first batch of students in January next year.

According to KUC Senior Public Relations Officer, Osir Otteng, 12 courses have been advertised.

"We are starting with certificate courses at both full and part time. As we progress, we will introduce diploma courses," Otteng said as he conducted the media on a tour of the new facility in rented premises on Southern House, on Moi Avenue.

He said the move is necessitated by the hunger for quality training in hospitality industry.

Quality education

Otteng revealed that other campuses would be set up in Eastern, Rift Valley, Central, Western and Nyanza provinces.

Utalii College is famed in the region and beyond for its quality of training in the services industry.

Analysts, however, reckon that only about 30 per cent of the 500,000 people working in the hospitality industry are formally trained.

In response, Otteng said regular refresher courses for hoteliers and restaurant workers, which KUC has been conducting, would continue to be offered.

He reiterated that the dream to establish a fully-fledged college at the Coast was still on.

Multi-purpose college

A total of Sh800 million has been released towards starting work on a 60-acre beach frontage parcel in Vipingo area, North Coast in Kilifi District where a second multi-purpose college equipped hotel facility will be set up.

The total cost of putting up the proposed college is estimated at Sh2 billion.

The Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers (Kahc) Coast branch has welcomed the decision by KUC to set up a campus in Mombasa.

"This is a move in the right direction. However, the Government should pump in more funds for the larger Coast Utalii College," Titus Kangangi, Kahc branch chairman said.