- KUTVET has issued a 21-day strike notice to the Ministry of Education, threatening to paralyse teaching, assessments and national examinations across technical institutions.
- Secretary-General Kepher Oguwi has raised concerns over CDACC’s exam security practices, including transmitting national papers via unsecured email, and criticised the rushed rollout of the modularised CBET framework.
- The union has demanded improved medical insurance for trainers and an end to arbitrary transfers, unprocedural demotions and non-transparent promotional interviews within technical institutions.
The Kenya Union of Technical and Vocational Education Trainers (KUTVET) has issued a 21-day strike notice to the Ministry of Education (MoE). The union says it will paralyse teaching, practical assessments and national examinations across all technical institutions if its grievances remain unresolved.
KUTVET Secretary-General Kepher Oguwi announced the ultimatum, saying tutors had reached a breaking point. According to him, the union has exhausted every diplomatic channel available and now has no option but to threaten industrial action.
Oguwi raised sharp concerns about how the TVET Curriculum Development, Assessment and Certification Council (CDACC) handles national examinations. He claimed that exam materials are transmitted through unsecured methods, including sending national papers by email.
This approach, he argued, exposes the system to leakages and threatens the credibility of technical certifications nationwide. Consequently, KUTVET wants the ministry to overhaul how exam papers move from setting to sitting.
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The union also opposes the pace at which the modularised Competency-Based Education and Training (CBET) framework has been implemented. Oguwi said the ministry pushed the changes through without sufficient public participation, teacher training or pilot testing.
Squeezing curriculum modules into three-month blocks, he added, disrupts learning schedules and leaves students underprepared for assessments. As a result, costs have climbed, and dropout rates have risen across technical colleges, according to the union.
Beyond academic concerns, KUTVET is demanding better healthcare for its members. Oguwi said trainers currently lack reliable or comprehensive medical insurance, leaving them and their dependents exposed to steep costs during emergencies.
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The union wants an immediate upgrade to the medical scheme covering technical trainers. Meanwhile, staffing practices have also drawn criticism, with Oguwi condemning arbitrary transfers and the unprocedural demotion of institution heads back to classroom duties without formal disciplinary hearings. He further faulted the absence of transparent, panel-based interviews for promotional appointments within technical institutes.
KUTVET represents more than 7,000 members across the country’s technical institutions. Oguwi warned that if the State Department for TVET and the Ministry of Education fail to enter binding negotiations before the 21-day window lapses, all members will down their tools.
By Benedict Aoya
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