History
Looking back over the years
The genesis of the Institute can be traced back to the Saradidi Rural health Program, in Siaya District, Kenya founded in 1979 in partnership with University of Nairobi, School of Medicine, the Anglican Church of Kenya, Diocese of Maseno South, the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) and the Ministry of Health (MOH). The project was transformed in1976 into an International Co-operation and Networking agency, the Community Initiatives Support Services (CISS) which created the Institute, TICH, in 1998. TICH emerged in response to the need for need for formal courses leading to recognized academic qualifications in Community Based Health Care to contribute towards the achievement of health for all and sustainable development by developing effective leaders and managers at all levels of the Health and Development systems.
The University of the Great Lakes in Goma, DRC, Universite’ Libre des Pays Grands Lacs (ULPGL), mentored TICH and guided its academic programme development that was launched in April 1998 at the Tom Mboya Labour College, Kisumu, Kenya. TICH brought together academicians, professionals and practitioners in Community Health and Development of diverse backgrounds to pool their expertise and experience in developing leaders, managers and professionals in Community Health; providing sound research evidence base for health policy development and management; and providing technical services.
TICH existed as an institute living its mandate of transformational participatory training linked to evidence generation to inform continuous community and institutional improvement. In this way TICH courses got the clamour of many people and the nation. In 2006 the institute, in partnership with the ministry of health (MOH) the Community Health strategy to reverse the negative trends in national health indicators of the 1990s. In the same year TICH created the Great Lakes University of Kisumu (GLUK). From the 2006 to 2018 TICH was swallowed in GLUK and became a faculty, as the director became the first Vice Chancellor of the University, though her vision did not die nor the vision holder. This was the sad epoch in the history of TICH since it lost its visibility and space to continue growing its initiatives.
From 2018 TICH has struggled to regain her independence to follow her vision mission and execute her mandate. In 2019, there was a paradigm shift from the traditional community health and development courses that TICH was known for, adding on Technical Education Training (TVET) courses and in 2021 National Industrial Training Authority (NITA) courses. In July 2021 there was a fundamental change in the governance of TICH that delineated the Institute from the Trust following a Special General Assembly Meeting on 20th July 2021. Thus, TICH Trust become the apex organization responsible for all her constituents of which TICH institute is one. This change has proved to be a dynamic continuous process.
The institute focuses on professional training offering NITA, TVET, Curriculum Development Assessment and Certification Council (CDACC), Medical Courses and Teacher Education courses at Diploma levels; and her domain for the last 25 years, Community Health and Development both at Certificate and Diploma levels with enhanced skills development dimensions. Currently, the institute has an administrative office and training activities in three two premises, one along ring road next to st Ann’s guest house and shared facilities with GLUK in Milimani, Kisumu.
