The Construction of a Sh206.5 million students’ village at Voi, Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) is set to commence following the official handing over of the site to a contractor, a development that is expected to significantly ease accommodation shortages that have constrained the institution’s growth for years.
The development, funded by the national government, will deliver hostels with a capacity of 580 beds within 52 weeks. Voi MP Eng. Abdi Chome, who presided over the site handover, hailed the project as a milestone for the region, noting that lack of on‑campus housing had forced students into costly and insecure rentals.
“We thank the national government under the patronage of the President for funding such a big project in Voi,” Chome said, urging the contractor to prioritize local youth in the workforce. He added that skills gained during construction would be certified by the National Industrial Training Authority in partnership with Taita Taveta National Polytechnic, opening doors for future employment.
He encouraged young people to take advantage of opportunities created by government-funded projects to earn a living and gain skills. He stated that, “To our youths, let’s take advantage of such projects, both the national, NG-CDF and county government projects, to work and earn a living.”
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Chome said youths engaged in the project would benefit beyond wages, noting that skills acquired on site would be formally recognized. He said the National Industrial Training Authority (NITA), in partnership with Taita Taveta National Polytechnic, would issue certificates to those who consistently report to work, enabling them to seek employment in the construction sector elsewhere.
He said his office had supported access to medical training through bursaries for students from needy backgrounds. “We have stood with parents and guardians in providing bursaries so that students can learn, graduate from Form Four and join this institution. Even when they are here, we have been supporting them,” he said, adding that although the numbers were improving, more effort was still required.
Taita Taveta Deputy Governor Christine Kilalo welcomed the project, saying enrolment at Voi KMTC could rise to 3,000 in the coming years. She emphasized the institution’s role in supporting healthcare delivery, with more than 74 facilities relying on trainees and graduates from Voi and Taveta campuses..
The Deputy Governor said the county government had supported the institution by providing eight lecturers to bridge staffing gaps, a move she said had improved training standards.
She expressed optimism that by the March intake, enrolment would exceed 1,000 students, adding that the hostel project had come at the right time.
Principal Josephine Nzesya traced the college’s growth from 19 students in 2016 to 958 today, but lamented that none had ever been accommodated within the campus. “As of today, around 10 years down the line, we have a total population of 958 students, and one of our key problems that we have been facing around is accommodation for the students,” she said.
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She expressed gratitude to President William Ruto, county leaders, and the KMTC board for backing the project, predicting that improved infrastructure would position Voi KMTC as a centre of excellence for medical training in Taita Taveta.
“I’m so grateful to God Almighty and our President, Dr William Samoei Ruto, for giving us this students’ village for our students because now they will be accommodated in the college. None since those years back has ever been accommodated in college,” she said.
She thanked the county government, the area MP, the KMTC board and the institution’s leadership for supporting the campus, saying the progress achieved had not come by chance.
She said the county government had played a key role in strengthening academic capacity at the campus saying, “The county government, when I came here in the year 2024, added us eight lecturers and that boosted the population of the students from 423 to the current 958.”
Nzesya said improved infrastructure would position Voi KMTC as a leading medical training institution in the region.
“I am sure that with the support that is at hand now, in the near future, KMTC Voi is going to be the centre of excellence for training medical students and paramedics within Taita Taveta County,” she said, citing the campus’s strategic location next to Moi Voi County Referral Hospital as an advantage.
By Michael Oduor
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