The long-awaited Ronald Ngala Utalii College in Kilifi County is set to officially open its doors on September 1, 2026, with an initial intake of 1,000 students as the government moves to strengthen skills training in the tourism and hospitality sector.
Tourism Principal Secretary Julius Bitok said construction and preparation works at the 40-acre facility are being accelerated to ensure the institution is ready to welcome its first batch of learners.
The college will offer diploma and short-term courses in areas such as catering, hotel management, seafaring, and refresher programmes in tourism and hospitality management.
Speaking during an inspection visit to the facility, Bitok said the institution is almost complete and preparations are on track for the first admission.
“I can confirm that we are 95 percent ready to welcome the first cohort of 1,000 students on the 1st of September. We have the necessary arrangements in place to make this a reality,” said Bitok.
The PS said the college will gradually expand its infrastructure to accommodate up to 4,000 students once fully operational.
He noted that the institution, which was designed as an advanced model of the Kenya Utalii College in Nairobi, had taken more than 12 years to become operational.
“It is unfortunate that a project of this magnitude has taken over 12 years to operationalise, but we are now focused on ensuring it serves its intended purpose of building capacity for the tourism sector,” Bitok said.
The college also has plans for a tourist-class hotel within the facility, which will provide practical training opportunities for students.
Bitok said the government is considering partnering with private investors through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement to fast-track the completion and opening of the hotel.
“We are exploring ways of bringing in investors under the PPP framework so that the hotel component can be completed and learners can gain hands-on experience in a real hospitality environment,” he added.
The opening of the college is expected to create at least 1,000 direct and indirect employment opportunities while boosting economic activities in the surrounding communities.
Bitok said the institution will play a key role in supporting Kenya’s ambition of increasing tourist arrivals.
“We are committed to ensuring that we build capacity for tourism and hospitality. The opening will go a long way in helping us achieve our target of five million tourists by 2028,” he said.
Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung’aro welcomed the opening of the college, saying it will provide young people with skills and certification needed to access opportunities in the blue economy, particularly the maritime sector.
The governor said lack of proper certification has prevented many residents from securing available jobs.
“We have had agents coming here to recruit seafarers. The last time I had a big team looking for 600 people, they only managed to take 59 because many lacked the required certification,” Mung’aro said.
He urged leaders and public figures to be careful with their statements concerning tourism, warning that negative remarks could damage the sector.
“We urge leaders to weigh their words when speaking about tourism because it is a very delicate product. What we have built in 10 years can be destroyed in a single day by a reckless statement,” the governor said.
The government says the operationalisation of Ronald Ngala Utalii College will strengthen Kenya’s tourism workforce by producing skilled professionals to meet the growing demands of the hospitality and maritime industries.
