Ronald Ngalla Utalii College to Open Doors in September with1000 Students

By Julius Mwabonje

The Ronald Ngalla Utalii College is set to officially begin training its first batch of 1000 students in the hospitality education beginning September this year after over 12 years of waiting.

Tourism principal secretary Dr Julius Bitok said the first cohort of students shall report at the Institution located at Vipingo in Kilifi County in the next 40 days.

Speaking after an inspection tour of the College while accompanied by the Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung’aro, Kenya Utalii College principal and chief executive officer Mark Ogendi, he said the facility was currently 90 percent complete.

“All is set for the institution to begin operations and it’s the best in Africa in design. It will help enable government meet target of five million tourists by 2030,” he said.

The PS said the college would take training of tourism and hospitality to another level in the country and asked leaders not to be reckless on the statements they make about tourism.

He assured tourists globally that Kenya was safe, secure and has best training facilities including Ronald Ngalla Utalii College.

According to him the college would provide more employment opportunities to satisfy cruise ship tourism asthere would be short courses related to cruise ship jobs.

He said Ronald Ngalla University College was better than most of the universities in the country that’s why the government had investment heavily on the Institution to bring back the real tourism inthe Kenya.

“We are Keen to engage other tourism stakeholders to buildmodern hotel in the country. We have land facing the beach right here and engaging stakeholders to build it under public private partnership,” he said adding that they agreed with stakeholders to start building the resort in the next one ortwo years.

He said they expect 1000 students in the next one month from September 1 and they would be the pioneer students at the college.

On his part, Gov Mung’aro said they were happy that the Ronald Ngalla University College was opening its doors in September as they have waited for the past 12 years to see its operating.

The governor said the college would enable quality services to beoffered through the training and boost the tourism sector in the country.

He said the institution shall also offer training of cruise ship seafarers courses and that he was happy it was in focus because there was a high demand in cruise ship jobs.

The governor called on the PS for tourism and utalii college to train short courses including the one of cruiseship and others so as to attract more students.

“Reckless statements by leaders are uncalled for, for tourism is the backbone of the Coast region. The next thing Riggy G should now say is tourists should stop drinking coffee and tea so that we can be equal,” he said.

The governor said currently hotels in Malindi and Watamu were full while Kilifi was 50 percent full adding that the sector was a delicate industry that once affected it will take time to recover.

He said the college would generate the workforce not only for Kilifi but in Kenya at large through the training and would boost not only locally but in the region at large.

“The more youth who will be taken for cruise ship jobs will boost the economy of Kilifi when they come back home,” he said.

The Kenya Utalii College principal and CEO Mark Ogendi said they were ready to create the area as a centre of excellence in tourism and hospitality in the country.

He said courses that will be offered include Seafarers, culinary arts, hospitality and tourism management travel and tourism management.

“We are ready to admit even international student’s because it’s the best facility to be built here, staff are already at the institution to assist students who will come to register,” he said adding that those interested can apply now through Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) and Kenya Utalii College.

He said they have partnered with Bandari college and French institute to give world class training.

“We have partnerships with cruise ship agencies to offer the training it deserves from those who will be trained at the institution,” he said.