- Awendo NG-CDF has delivered a new 52-seater bus to KMTC Awendo Campus, ending years of reliance on borrowed or hired transport for clinical placements.
- MP John Walter Owino has pledgedSh10 million for a new tuition block, while urging KMTC to introduce more market-driven courses.
- The campus has grown from 150 to over 400 students in two years, prompting calls for additional hostels, a library and more lecturers to match its expansion.
Students at the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) Awendo Campus have celebrated a major boost to their learning and mobility after receiving a new 52-seater bus from the Awendo National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF).
The students took their maiden ride during a flagging-off ceremony held on Monday at the campus grounds in Awendo town, next to Awendo Sub-County Hospital, marking the end of years of relying on vehicles borrowed from other KMTC campuses or hired privately for clinical placements. “We will travel for sports, we will be at the clinical placement sites, we will tour neighbouring campuses for learning. We will be all over the place,” said Student Representative Council Chairperson Bernard Owuor.
The excitement began at the Awendo NG-CDF offices, where students gathered for the first ride before the bus proceeded to the campus shortly before 11 a.m. Its arrival was met with singing, dancing and cheers as students welcomed the new addition.
Awendo MP John Walter Owino said his office, with support from the National Government, had invested more than Sh200 million in establishing and developing Awendo KMTC, covering land, buildings, laboratories and equipment, in addition to the new bus. “This is proof that NG-CDF is working. This is the Government’s commitment to bring education closer to the people,” Owino said.
He noted that the bus would solve a long-standing transport challenge that had forced students to hire private vehicles to access health facilities for practical lessons, and said the college had transformed the local economy, benefiting landlords, mama mboga and boda boda operators in Awendo town.
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Owino challenged KMTC management to introduce more market-driven programmes at the campus, including Diploma in Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Diploma in Kenya Registered Nurse and Midwifery, Orthopaedics and Health Records, so that youth do not have to travel far to access such courses. He pledged an additional Sh10 million from NG-CDF towards the construction of a new tuition block, and said he would work with the Migori County Government to upgrade health facilities in the constituency to give students access to specialised clinical training.
KMTC Board Chairperson Joseah Cheruiyot said the college’s national vehicle fleet had grown to 158 after Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale recently flagged off eight new buses, with the Awendo bus among the latest additions. He described Awendo as one of the fastest-growing KMTC campuses and said the Board would consider Owino’s request for additional courses once it had assessed staffing and infrastructure needs. He also urged residents to invest in quality accommodation and other services around the campus, noting that its growth was creating opportunities for local businesses.
KMTC Chief Executive Officer Dr Kelly Oluoch said the new bus would also support medical camps and community outreach, giving students hands-on experience, and encouraged Migori residents to take advantage of medical training opportunities available at the Awendo, Migori and Kuria campuses. He said Awendo currently offers a Certificate in Community Health Nursing and a Diploma in Community Health, adding that an assessment team would be sent to evaluate the campus’s preparedness for new programmes.
Awendo Campus Principal Humphreys Aremo thanked the college management and the MP for their support, noting that enrolment at the campus had grown from 150 to over 400 students within two years. He said the campus urgently needed more hostels, a library and additional lecturers to accommodate its growth.
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Migori County Director of Health Dr Eli Rono said the county government would continue providing clinical placement opportunities for students at Migori Level Four Hospital, Mariwa and other facilities, and urged KMTC to train more Public Health Officers to support disease prevention efforts in the county.
The ceremony was also attended by KMTC Board Directors Eng. Dr Joseph Atonga and Dr Hezron Omollo, Registrar Ronald Wasike, Deputy Administrative Services Manager Dr Priscillah Anuri, the Awendo Sub-County Deputy County Commissioner, and other college officials, staff, students and members of the public.
By Lizzy Aluga and Enock Okong’o
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