Kelly Oluoch
Kenyan pharmacist-turned-educator Dr. Kelly Oluoch has transformed Kenya Medical Training College from a cluster of regional schools into the country’s largest pipeline of frontline health workers. Armed with two PhDs, two master’s degrees and a bachelor’s in pharmacy, he stepped in as acting CEO in 2020 and was confirmed two years later. Since then he has opened or upgraded campuses in every county, 72 in total, expanding enrolment to 54,000 students and giving thousands of rural learners their first local path to clinical credentials.
Oluoch brokered Higher Education Loans Board access for KMTC trainees, unlocked scholarships from county governments and the private sector, and negotiated graduate placements with hospitals in the UK and Middle East, burnishing the college’s global standing. A cloud-based learning platform and biometric attendance system earned KMTC the 2024 Digitally Fit Award, while its role in supplying nurses and clinical officers to underserved areas won the 2023 Transform Education prize for advancing universal health coverage. Next on his agenda: rolling out simulation labs, integrating AI-driven telemedicine into the curriculum and forging research chairs with international universities, moves aimed at ensuring that every Kenyan community, however remote, can count on a locally trained, digitally fluent health workforce.