Matuga Government Training Institute was established in the 1950s as a Community Training Centre training women in cookery, knitting tailoring and craft courses under the Management of Kwale County Council. Later other courses like Agriculture, pre-primary, daycare, family planning, food handling and rehabilitation of malnourished children were added to the Center’s mandate.

In 1974 the Centre was transferred to the Ministry of Culture and Social Services with its mandate expanded to training a lower cadre of civil servants. At the onset of District Focus for Rural Development Strategy, the Centre was transferred to the Office of the President and re-designated to Matuga Development Institute. Pursuant to ministerial rationalization, the Institute was transferred to the Directorate of Personnel Management (DPM) in 2003 and renamed Government Training Institute (GTI).

The GTI was charged with the provision of Training, Research and Consultancy services. In 2012 through an Act of Parliament, it became one of the Campuses of Kenya School of Government with an expanded mandate of Training, Research, Consultancy and advisory Services for Results-oriented Public Service.