Githu seeks truce in admissions row
What you need to know:
- Justice Korir was told by lawyer Benson Millimo, for the KMTC, that Public Service chief Joseph Kinyua had directed the two ministries to resolve the issue under the auspices of the AG.
- He said that Mr Kinyua had informed the KUCCPS that the government only recognises the KMTC as the legal body, which admits students to its colleges.
- KMTC has appealed against the order and urged the second highest court to lift Judge Onguto’s order to enable students to report.
Attorney-General Githu Muigai has summoned two Cabinet Secretaries over an admissions stalemate affecting 3,721 students selected to join the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC).
Justice Weldon Korir was Monday told that Prof Muigai would be meeting Health CS James Macharia and his Education counterpart, Prof Jacob Kaimenyi, to seek a solution to the row pitting the KMTC against the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Services (KUCCPS), over which of the two organisations is legally mandated to select students to join the 42 centres.
Prof Muigai was expected to meet Mr Macharia and Prof Kaimenyi in his chambers.
Justice Korir was told by lawyer Benson Millimo, for the KMTC, that Public Service chief Joseph Kinyua had directed the two ministries to resolve the issue under the auspices of the AG.
Subsequently, on September 16, Mr Kinyua directed the KUCCPS to drop the cases it had filed in Eldoret, Nakuru and Nairobi against the KMTC.
“We wish to convene a meeting on October 9, 2015, in my chambers,” Prof Muigai says in a letter to the two ministers dated September 30.
LASTING SOLUTION
The AG informed the two CSs that the meeting was in line with Mr Kinyua’s directive of September 16.
In that letter, Mr Kinyua directed the KUCCPS not to pursue the case because KMTC was legally mandated “to admit students under the KMTC Act.”
Mr Millimo, who is acting for KMTC together with Mr Paul Lillan, told the judge that a lasting solution would soon be found.
The KUCCPS, which is represented by Mr Tom Ojienda, obtained an order restraining the students from reporting on September 15.
“This order has caused a lot of anxiety among the students and their parents and also the KMTC, which has received fees from the recruits,” Mr Millimo told Justice Korir.
He said that Mr Kinyua had informed the KUCCPS that the government only recognises the KMTC as the legal body, which admits students to its colleges.
KMTC had sought to have the September 9 order set aside but Mr Justice Joseph Onguto declined.
He, however, took issue with KUCCPS and its lawyer, Prof Ojienda, for failing to disclose that they had filed a similar case in Nakuru seeking to block KMTC from admitting students
KMTC has appealed against the order and urged the second highest court to lift Judge Onguto’s order to enable students to report.
KUCCPS selects government-sponsored students to join public universities.
