Surge in Client Traffic at KMTC as Hundreds Seek Services

Surge in Client Traffic at KMTC as Hundreds Seek Services

The Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) has recently become a beehive of activity, with a surge in clients seeking a wide range of services including academic documents.

From as early as 6:30 a.m., a steady stream of individuals can be seen lining up outside the examination offices, eager to collect their certificates, and transcripts, or have their academic documents authenticated.

This has been the norm for the past six months.
Interestingly, even alumni who graduated over 20 years ago are joining the rush, eager to retrieve their documents.

A visit to the examination division paints a vivid picture: officers constantly on phone calls talking to clients, printers humming non-stop, and browsers being refreshed as officers check for incoming email requests.

“Hapa ni kazi tu (here we work). When I report to work at 7:30 a.m. and sit at my desk, I only lift my head at 6:00 p.m. when the queue finally flattens,” recalls one officer.

Outside the offices, clients patiently wait their turn, many sharing stories of their time at KMTC, their faces lit with excitement as they anticipate the much-needed service.

Their laughter fills the air as the sun rises higher.
Curiosity led me closer to a particularly lively group, where I overheard one of them telling his newfound friends, “Mimi naenda majuu (I’m traveling abroad).”

By 9:00 a.m., the number of clients swells even further.

“We are experiencing an unprecedented influx of clients. In a single day, we attend to as many as 200 people in person, and when combined with online requests, we’re handling close to 600 clients daily,” said Mr. Gordon Agalo, the Deputy Registrar in charge of Examinations.

“We used to serve fewer than 20 clients in a day. The increased volume means we often have to work extra hours, sometimes even over the weekend, to meet the growing demand,” he continued.

According to CEO Dr. Kelly Oluoch, the College is under immense pressure to serve its clients.

“We have never encountered such a large number of clients seeking services simultaneously. Many of these applicants are either attending job interviews or traveling abroad, and we cannot afford to let our alumni miss these opportunities,” he noted.

For many years, KMTC’s services were largely delivered manually, which means that students who graduated more than two decades ago might face delays in obtaining their transcripts.

Dr. Oluoch explained that because documents have been stored manually over the years, it may take clients, particularly those who graduated many years ago, days or weeks to obtain their transcripts, depending on how quickly their records can be retrieved.

“This timeline may exceed the ten days prescribed in our Citizens’ Service Delivery Charter. However, given that we are manually sifting through vast amounts of documents, it is a cumbersome process. But rest assured, we are up to the task,” he assured.

However, the College has recently decentralized the issuance of transcripts to ease congestion.

“Transcripts will now be issued at the Campus level. This means that if you sit for your exams today, by the time you graduate, you will carry home your certificate along with your transcripts,” Dr. Oluoch explained.

Job opportunities on the rise

Recent bilateral agreements between the Kenyan government and various countries, including the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia, have opened up new job opportunities for KMTC graduates.

The UK alone is looking to employ around 20,000 Kenyan nurses in its hospitals. In January 2024, Saudi Arabia announced opportunities for 2,500 skilled laborers.

HE. President Dr. William Ruto is banking on the exportation of labor to create employment for Kenyan youth, which in turn will help grow the economy.
As these agreements are finalized, KMTC graduates stand to benefit the most.

Last year alone, KMTC graduated 22,000 medics, and almost a similar number is expected this year.

“The growing number of students means that KMTC must do things differently to manage this growth,” said Dr. Oluoch.

To enhance service delivery, KMTC recently introduced online verification for students’ certificates and transcripts.

As the day ends and officers close their offices, they say their goodbyes, preparing for yet another demanding day ahead.

In the next issue of “Let’s Have a Candid Discussion,” we’ll explore the pros and cons of staff and students securing jobs abroad.