Around two thirds of applicants aiming to study at the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) were denied placement following increased competition for limited slots.

Data from the Ministry of Education shows 36,863 or 65 percent of the 56, 516 applicants were locked out of KMTC admissions in the just concluded placement cycle.

This highlighsts the growing interest in technical courses which is a departure from the past when degrees were perceived as a ticket for better jobs and promotions at the workplace.

"With regard to the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC), 56,516 individuals applied and 19,653 were placed as per available slots," said Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu during the 2024 Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) stakeholder forum in Nairobi.

This is the second time that the KUCCPS is handling placement of pre-service trainees to medical courses offered at the KMTC.

In the just concluded cycle, the approved capacity at the KMTC was 17,172 against the 19,653 students placed indicating an over-placement of 2,481 trainees.

Last year, some 12,265 students were placed by the KUCCPS at the KMTC.

At the time, KUCCPS noted the number of qualified applicants for KMTC programmes was extremely higher than the available capacities provided by the institution, resulting to competition for the limited slots where many qualified applicants were unplaced.

To remedy this, KUCCPS proposed enhancement of capacity for KMTC to absorb more qualified students, especially in Nursing programmes.,

Of the 895,232 candidates that sat the 2023 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), 890,654 were Kenyan citizens and therefore eligible for placement by the KUCCPS.

In the just concluded placement cycle, a total of 153,274 students were placed in degree programmes in universities, 75,718 secured places in TVET institutions, 19,653 were placed at the KMTC and 10,263 secured admissions at Teacher Training Colleges.