Kenya's healthcare training evolves with career choices

KMTC Chief Executive Kelly Oluoch says students today are more strategic and they want courses that lead to jobs. [Courtesy]

There has been a noticeable change in how young Kenyans are choosing careers in the healthcare sector.

Increasingly, students are prioritising practical training, shorter study periods, and clear employment pathways.

As global demand for healthcare workers rises, institutions such as Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) are positioning their graduates for opportunities beyond Kenya’s borders.

KMTC Chief Executive Kelly Oluoch says students today are more strategic and they want courses that lead to jobs.

“Healthcare is evolving, and so must training, we are preparing our students for the challenges of today and tomorrow,” Dr Oluoch said during a press briefing in Nairobi. 

He said the college has been boxed into a familiar narrative as an institution synonymous with nursing and clinical medicine but that the perception, while rooted in truth, barely scratches the surface of what has become one of Kenya’s most critical engines for healthcare training.

The institution offers 126 specialised programmes, spanning everything from laboratory sciences and radiography to nutrition, health information, and medical engineering fields that collectively sustain the full cycle of healthcare delivery.

“Healthcare is not a single profession it is a system from diagnosis and treatment to rehabilitation and data management, every role matters. That is exactly what KMTC is training for. A system, not a single skill.

"Behind every diagnosis is a laboratory scientist. Behind every recovery, a rehabilitation specialist. And behind efficient healthcare systems, a network of trained professionals managing data, equipment, and community outreach,” said Oluoch.

The college says over 85 per cent of Kenya’s middle-level health workforce are its graduates working across hospitals, pharmacies, laboratories, and community health programmes. 

More than 4,000 graduates secured employment last year, both locally and internationally.

“We are not just training for Kenya, we are training for the world,” Oluoch said. “Our graduates are competitive anywhere.”

KMTC’s footprint continues to grow, with 92 campuses and six satellite centres spread across the country. This expansion is making medical training more accessible, particularly for students from rural and underserved regions.

The Covid-19 pandemic reshaped global healthcare and KMTC has adapted accordingly. 

Its updated curriculum now includes training in outbreak response, emergency care, mental health, and antimicrobial resistance, alongside expanded programmes in critical care. 

Targeted initiatives, such as community health nursing, are also helping to address workforce shortages in underserved areas. 

Beyond technical skills, KMTC is also investing in the holistic development of its students addressing mental health, substance use, and other social challenges affecting young people. 

In a significant boost to career progression, higher diplomas from KMTC are now recognized as equivalent to bachelor’s degrees by the Kenya National Qualifications Authority, opening new academic and professional pathways. 

“KMTC may have built its reputation on nursing and clinical medicine but today, it stands as something far greater: a comprehensive training institution powering every layer of Kenya’s healthcare system.

"And as demand for skilled health professionals continues to grow both locally and globally the College is no longer just part of the conversation. It is leading it,” Oluoch said.