Stanley Maindi, director of the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) programme, has revealed that more than 5,000 Kenyans have received official certification from recognised institutions validating skills and competencies acquired outside the formal education system.
Maindi said this achievement comes a year after the RPL policy was enacted in March 2024, paving the way for millions of Kenyans with experience and competencies acquired outside traditional classrooms to gain national recognition.
Maindi said the initiative, spearheaded by the Directorate of RPL within the State Department for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), is designed to validate and accredit the skills of individuals working in the informal sector who have long been overlooked by formal education systems.
He noted that through the policy, the government was working with national polytechnics to carry out assessments and issue certificates at different levels to eligible Kenyans.
He said the institutions have been tasked with evaluating candidates based on their practical competencies and knowledge, aligning them with the National Qualifications Framework.
He said this was in line with the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), which aims to ensure that those at the bottom are empowered through certification to get formal employment or bargain for better perks.
“The certificates we issue through RPL are the same as those issued to those who go through the formal education system. The goal is to ensure that Kenyans with skills and competencies who did not get a chance to attend class are assessed and awarded certificates, which they can even use to advance their studies,” he said.
Speaking at Kisumu National Polytechnic, where RPL regional committees were instituted, Maindi underscored the programme’s importance in unlocking new economic and professional opportunities.
He added that, through partnerships with development partners, the Directorate has trained its eyes on the 15 million Kenyans working in the informal sector to ensure their assessment and certification.
He said the campaign targets food and beverage, masonry, carpentry, building and construction, CCTV technology, electrical installation, solar PV installation, electrical alarm system technology, engine technology, anybody repair and spray painting, fashion design, and fisheries technology.
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He said the candidates are assessed not just on what they know, but on what they can do.
‘The assessment is both oral and written because some of the candidates cannot write. Where needed, we do oral tests in the mother tongue. This approach ensures that certification reflects their real-world abilities,” Maindi added.
He said that to ramp up the programme, officers from the RPL Directorate would visit government programmes and institutions where many Kenyans in the informal sector have been engaged.
“We are targeting the Affordable Housing Programme, county integrated markets, and Blue Economy projects. We plan to engage the contractors to assess those working with them and issue them with certificates,” he said.
Cost of certification
Maindi said the minimum cost for the exercise was Sh5,500 for those visiting the various institutions awarding the certificates. However, he said, this was likely to vary depending on the nature of the tests undertaken.
“When they come to an institution like Kisumu National Polytechnic, for example, costs are involved. For example, the institution must buy the materials required for the tests if it is an electrical installation. So, the cost can go beyond the Sh5,500,” he explained.
Maindi urged Kenyans in the informal sector to take advantage of the initiative and take the tests to secure certificates.
He said beneficiaries of the programme have already begun to experience the ripple effects of formal certification.
Maindi said a recent tracer study by the Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA) revealed that most of those who have transitioned to formal employment using the certificates were performing above par.
“Many have reported increased employment prospects, eligibility for government contracts, access to further education, and greater respect within their trades,” he said.
By Fredrick Odiero
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