27/08/2026
KMTC Takes its Place in Kenya’s UHC Conversation
What kind of health worker does Kenya need for the health system it is building?
That question emerged strongly at the Kenya Health Summit 2026, placing the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) at the centre of discussions on the workforce needed to translate ongoing health reforms into better care for Kenyans.
Held on August 18–19, 2026 at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), the Summit brought together national and county governments, health professionals, development partners and other stakeholders to take stock of reforms and determine what must happen next to accelerate Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
For KMTC, led at the Summit by Chief Executive Officer Dr. Kelly Oluoch and Deputy Director, Academics Prof. Nyawira Mwangi, the conversations touched directly on its mandate, developing the Human Resources for Health required by a changing health system.
This came into sharp focus during the Presidential Listening Session when H.E. President Dr. William Ruto highlighted KMTC’s introduction of new specialities in response to emerging health needs and the Government’s allocation of KSh392 million for HELB support to KMTC students.
Invited by the President to elaborate, Dr. Oluoch highlighted the College’s introduction of the Diploma in Speech Therapy, Higher Diploma in Speech and Language Therapy and Higher Diploma in Audiology, among programmes aimed at closing emerging skills gaps in the health sector.
He also thanked the Government for extending HELB financing to KMTC students, noting that as access to training expands, adequate student financing will be critical to ensuring that qualified young people are not locked out of health training because of their financial circumstances.
The discussion went beyond numbers. Across the Summit, one message was consistent: Kenya’s health reforms will only deliver results if the country has enough health workers, with the right skills, in the places where they are needed most.
Nowhere is that urgency clearer than in maternal and newborn health.
Kenya loses approximately 15 mothers and 92 newborns every day to preventable causes. The Every Woman Every Newborn Everywhere (EWENE) Acceleration Plan seeks to change this trajectory, with Kenya targeting a reduction in the maternal mortality ratio from 355 to 140 or fewer deaths per 100,000 live births, and neonatal mortality from 21 to 12 or fewer deaths per 1,000 live births by 2028.
This is where training becomes a life-saving intervention.
KMTC has trained 429 Enrolled Community Health Nurses through support from UNHCR and Beyond Zero, strengthening the pool of frontline health workers available to provide maternal, newborn and child health services, particularly in arid, semi-arid and underserved areas.
The significance of this investment goes beyond the 429 graduates. EWENE identifies the health workforce as one of the critical pillars for reducing preventable deaths. Putting skilled nurses closer to mothers and newborns helps address gaps in access to timely and quality care, particularly in communities where distance and shortages of health personnel can determine health outcomes.
Director-General for Health Dr. Patrick Amoth reinforced this during the maternal health discussions, noting that investment in equipment must be matched by adequate numbers of nurses and other healthcare professionals if mothers and newborns are to receive quality and timely care.
The same message carried into the Human Resources for Health plenary.
Deputy President H.E. Prof. Kithure Kindiki challenged the sector to train for the healthcare system Kenya is building, rather than the one it is leaving behind, while Principal Secretary for Public Health and Professional Standards Mary Muthoni highlighted the importance of adequate staffing, continuous professional development and data-driven workforce planning.
KMTC is responding both in scale and in the type of training it provides.
Dr. Oluoch told the Summit that while the College was projecting about 15,000 graduates in 2022, it expects to graduate approximately 25,000 health professionals this year. The College is also expanding specialised training and embracing responsible labour mobility, including foreign-language training, to prepare graduates for opportunities within Kenya and internationally.
“KMTC trains about 85 per cent of Kenya’s middle-level health workforce. As the health system changes, our responsibility is to ensure that the workforce changes with it. We must continue expanding training while developing the specialised and emerging competencies required to deliver quality healthcare to Kenyans,” Dr. Oluoch said.
Financing can expand access. Equipment can strengthen facilities. Digital systems can improve efficiency and accountability. Medicines must reach the last mile. But ultimately, it takes a skilled health worker to turn these investments into care.
For KMTC, the task ahead is therefore clear: to train the workforce for the health system Kenya is building.
