- The gov’t has upgraded equipment in TVET institutions, recruited more trainers and strengthened industry partnerships, contributing to enrolment more than doubling nationally.
- CS Ogamba has confirmed the government is working on a new law to provide full funding for tertiary education, aimed at ensuring no student misses out due to their background.
The government has upgraded equipment in TVET institutions, recruited more trainers and strengthened industry partnerships as part of efforts to reposition technical training as a central pillar of Kenya’s economic transformation agenda, Education Cabinet Secretary Migos Ogamba has said.
Speaking during the inaugural graduation ceremony of Kipsoen National Polytechnic in Keiyo North Sub-County, where 983 students graduated, Ogamba said these investments had contributed to TVET enrolment more than doubling nationally, with the government targeting to train two million Kenyans by the end of the year. Ogamba said the country needed more technicians, artisans, innovators and entrepreneurs to drive development. “Kenya is a developing country, and we require technicians, artisans, innovators and entrepreneurs who can build, maintain, design, programme, manufacture and create value,” he said.
Ogamba said the reforms, carried out under the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), had expanded access to TVET, reformed curricula and strengthened links between training institutions and industry, aiming to produce graduates with practical skills capable of responding to the needs of the economy. He said TVET programmes under the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) had been modularised into shorter units, enabling learners to acquire marketable skills faster and progress through training more flexibly. Integrating industry into training was giving students meaningful exposure to real workplaces, he added, while recognition of prior learning was providing formal certification pathways for Kenyans who had acquired skills informally.
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The CS said the success of a national polytechnic should be measured not only by the number of certificates issued but also by enterprises established, innovations commercialised, jobs created, and communities strengthened. He challenged the graduands not to define success solely by the jobs they secure, but by the problems they solve and the value they create. “Do not wait for perfect conditions; start where you are with what you have, practice honesty, invest in continuous learning, and embrace integrity. This will open doors that credentials may not,” he said.
Ogamba further said the government was working on a new law to support tertiary education and provide full government funding for students. “Once the law is passed, no student will fail to undertake a course or a programme because of their background,” he said.
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Kipsoen National Polytechnic Principal Joseph Bittok called on the Ministry of Education to fund a modern engineering complex to enable the institution to maximise its newly elevated status and expand its capacity for grassroots industrial innovation. Keiyo North MP Adams Kipsanai urged graduates to embrace continuous learning and discipline to remain competitive in an increasingly technological world, specifically challenging agricultural extension graduates to return to villages and help farmers adopt modern farming practices.
Kipsanai also thanked the national government for funding the construction of modern student hostels, which he said were expected to be commissioned within two months, and called on the Ministry of Education to urgently acquire additional land to facilitate the polytechnic’s expansion.
By Kimutai Lanagat
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