Thousands of certificates remain uncollected at Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC), CEO Dr. Kelly Oluoch has said.
Despite consistent reminders in the media, thousands of graduates have yet to collect their certificates, many years later.
In 2023, KMTC saw around 22,000 students graduate, but approximately 5,000 certificates are still awaiting collection.
“We have thousands more certificates and other academic documents, stored in our facilities, some dating back over 60 years. Additionally, some clients request document verification but fail to collect them,” Dr. Oluoch noted.
The accumulation of uncollected certificates poses significant challenges for the College. “When these documents are not picked up, they take up valuable storage space,” Dr. Oluoch added.
To encourage timely collection, KMTC imposes penalties for uncollected certificates: Kshs 1,000 for those unclaimed within a year, and Kshs 2,000 for those beyond one year.
When this reporter toured the main storage rooms, the scene was a beehive of activity.
A group of masons was hard at work, their tools clattering rhythmically, water trickling in with a hosepipe, building materials arriving, and College technicians standing still while supervising the work.
Dust hung in the air, illuminated by shafts of sunlight filtering through the high windows, as the builders carefully collapsed the walls to create additional space.
Nearby, another team was busy installing fireproof cabinets against the walls.
The atmosphere was one of urgency, as the teams worked nonstop to transform the storage area into a more secure and efficient space for safeguarding important documents.
“This is what happens when your store is full and you are running out of space,” explained Dr. Nyawira Mwangi, Deputy Director, Academics.
At the customer service area, a long line snaked along the corridor as clients waited patiently to be served.
Inside the room, Caroline, a client who graduated in 1972, arrived to collect her certificate.
The retrieval process was lengthy, as officers combed through numerous cabinets spread across different storage locations.
Shortly afterward, another client arrived, he said he graduated in 1982 but never collected his certificate.
Dr. Oluoch acknowledged past challenges with information storage but assured that the College is addressing these issues through service automation.
“We have acquired a state-of-the-art Qidenus Scanner and it will allow us to scan, store, and share information and learning materials for students. We will use the same to secure our certificates, making it easier to retrieve when needed,” he explained.
However, Dr. Oluoch stressed the importance of graduates collecting their documents promptly to alleviate storage issues.
“When you want to convert every available room into a storage for certificates, it limits the College’s ability to use those spaces for learning,” he stated.
In the past six months, KMTC has witnessed a significant increase in clients seeking various academic services.
The College is banking on decentralizing some of its services, like the issuance of transcripts, to Campuses in a bid to ease congestion at the headquarters.
