The National Assembly has nullified placements of Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) students by the Kenya University and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS).
The parliamentary committee on Health led by Robert Pukose on Thursday, August 10, dismissed the placement process by KUCCPS arguing that it was illegal.
This, therefore, means that the students who had applied for placement to the institutions may have to apply again since the committee directed that the process be conducted afresh by the KMTC board.
“When the court rules on a matter and you have not appealed or brought an amendment to the law. Then what you are doing is illegal,” Pukose said
“The process conducted by KUCCPS is invalid. I have directed KMTC to seize the matter from KUCCPS,” added Pukose.
Placement to be Conducted by KMTC Board
“It should be clear that the student who had paid the application fee should not repay when reapplying, but on how the selection will be done, we will leave it to the board,” Pukose noted.
Moreover, applicants who sought to be placed to the 42 campuses of the medical college had paid an application fee of Ksh2,000.
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Nonetheless, the decision came after Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha appeared before the committee to explain why he contracted KUCCPS to conduct the placement exercise even though the law mandates the KMTC board to do so.
“There is a court order stopping any association between KUCCPS and KMTC, are you not aware that you were breaking the law? Did you seek advice from the AG?” Kilgoris MP Julius Sunkuli posed.
“KUCCPS is a stranger in this placement, we should throw them out, and allow the board to take over,” he added.
In a response, CS Nakhumicha explained she was acting on an executive order which allowed KUCCPS to conduct the placement process.
42,000 students had applied for a chance to join KMTC colleges, although KUCCPS had only placed 11,975 (28%) of the applicants, with over 30,000 missing out.
