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Placement agency, KMTC admissions row heads to court

MURAGURI

Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Services CEO John Muraguri. PHOTO | FILE |

The State agency that places students in public universities and colleges is seeking to join a court row that will determine who between it and the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) has the powers to conduct admissions to the medical institution.

The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Services (KUCCPS) Thursday sought to be enjoined in a case where two students have sued KMTC over admission.

KMTC and the placement agency are embroiled in an intake battle, with both institutions claiming the right to admit students.

In an application filed before the High Court in Nakuru, the placement agency, through advocate Tom Ojienda, stated that they are interested in the case because it would solve the dispute.

Though an affidavit, chief executive John Muraguri asked the court to allow their participation because of their role in placement of students in public universities and tertiary institutions.

“It is only fair that KUCCPS be enjoined in the case because it is the legally mandated body under the Universities Act of 2012 to allocate students to public universities and colleges,” said Mr Muraguri.

The application will be heard on Wednesday.

In the suit, the students David Mburu Mwangi and Anthony Thuita Mwai sued the KMTC management for refusing to admit students selected by the agency.

They moved to court after KMTC rejected the admissions of 2,305 students selected by KUCCPS, arguing the agency was not mandated to enrol medical students in its institutions.

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The college said it would not admit any student through the placement service and turned away from KMTC campuses those admitted by agency. It admitted 4,860 students through its own advertisement.

KUCCPS reckons that it has the sole responsibility to select students joining public universities and middle-level colleges and warned that those admitted by KMTC would not benefit from the Higher Education Loans Board loans.

The placement agency said the medical college management could only admit self-sponsored students.