Kenyatta University (KU) medical students have finally been granted access to the Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital (KUTRRH) for clinical training after more than five years of stalemate.
The breakthrough ends years of wrangling between the university and the hospital management, with the institution accusing the referral facility of shutting out its students despite being established primarily as a teaching hospital for KU’s medical school.
The first batch of 200 medical students reported for induction at the level six facility, marking what many described as the dawn of a new era for medical training at KU.
Student leaders welcomed the development, saying it would ease the burden they had faced while seeking attachments in other hospitals.
For years, the learners relied heavily on the Kiambu Level Five Hospital for clinical rotations, but this had become untenable following frequent doctors’ strikes that left students stranded without patients or supervisors.
Fred Latandi Ondieki, the chairman of KU’s Social Welfare and Co-curricular Activities and a fifth-year medicine student, said the stalemate had caused serious delays in their academic progression.
His colleagues Vincent Ochieng and Karen Wanjiru, both members of the Medical School Congress, echoed his sentiments, noting that the move would ensure students completed their studies on time without unnecessary disruptions.
KUTRRH Chief Executive Officer Dr. Zainab Gura described the admission of the students as a “major milestone” that affirms one of the hospital’s core mandates providing training opportunities for KU students.
The tussle between KU and KUTRRH had previously attracted the attention of various government bodies, including the National Assembly and Senate Health Committees, which were forced to intervene on several occasions to broker a solution.
Education stakeholders and parents had also raised concern over the impasse, warning that prolonged delays in clinical training risked jeopardizing the future of hundreds of students pursuing medicine and related disciplines at KU.
With the standoff now resolved, students, faculty, and administrators expressed optimism that the partnership will not only enhance the quality of medical training but also strengthen healthcare delivery in the country.
The integration of KU medical students into KUTRRH is expected to be fully rolled out by the start of the next academic year in September.
