Tourism Principal Secretary Julius Bitok with Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung’aro on July 23 /COURTESY
The Ronald Ngala Utalii College in Kilifi county will officially
admit its first cohort of 1,000 students on September 1, ending a
12-year wait for the opening of one of Kenya’s flagship tourism
training institutions.
Tourism Principal Secretary Julius Bitok said the government had
completed 95 per cent of the work required to operationalise the
college and was finalising preparations ahead of the inaugural
intake.
“I can confirm that we are 95 per cent ready to welcome the
first cohort of 1,000 students on September 1. We have the necessary
arrangements in place to make this a reality,” Bitok said during
an inspection tour of the facility.
The institution, built on a 40-acre parcel of land in Kilifi, will
offer diploma and short-term courses in hospitality, catering,
housekeeping, seafaring and management, among other tourism-related
programmes.
Bitok said the college would gradually expand its facilities to
accommodate up to 4,000 students as demand for skilled professionals
in the tourism and hospitality sectors continues to grow.
The institution is set to admit the first students in September/COURTESY
He regretted that despite being designed as an advanced model of
the Kenya Utalii College in Nairobi, the institution had taken more
than a decade to become operational.
To enhance practical training, the government is considering
bringing on board a private investor through a Public-Private
Partnership (PPP) to complete and operate a tourist-class hotel
within the college.
The hotel is expected to serve both commercial guests and provide
hands-on training opportunities for students.
Bitok said the opening of the college would strengthen Kenya’s
capacity to produce skilled personnel required by the expanding
tourism industry and support the government’s target of attracting
five million international tourists annually by 2028.
“We are committed to ensuring that we build capacity for
tourism and hospitality. The opening will go a long way in ensuring
that we meet our target of five million tourists by 2028,” he
said.
The Principal Secretary said the institution is also expected to
create at least 1,000 direct and indirect jobs while stimulating
economic activity in Kilifi and the wider Coast region.
Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung’aro welcomed the opening, saying it
would provide much-needed training opportunities for young people
seeking careers in the blue economy, particularly the maritime
sector.
“We have had instances where recruitment agencies came
looking for seafarers. The last time a team wanted to recruit 600
people, but only 59 qualified because the rest lacked the required
certification,” Mung’aro said.
A section of the college on July 23, 2026/COURTESY
The governor said the college would help bridge the skills gap by
equipping learners with internationally recognised qualifications
needed in the tourism, hospitality and maritime industries.
Bitok and Mung’aro also urged political leaders to exercise
caution in their public remarks, warning that irresponsible
statements could damage Kenya’s tourism reputation.
“We urge leaders to weigh their words when they are talking
about tourism because it is a very delicate product. What we have
built over 10 years can be destroyed in a single day by a reckless
statement,” Mung’aro said.
