- 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 ultimatum to the Ministry of Education, threatening a nationwide strike should the government fail to address a raft of pressing institutional and welfare grievances.
Addressing the media on Thursday, KUTVET Secretary General Kepher Oguwi expressed deep frustration over the Ministry’s unresponsiveness, noting that formal letters requesting peaceful dialogue have been repeatedly ignored. Among the chief grievances are unreliable curriculum reviews, systemic examination flaws, contentious medical insurance caps, and irregular staff transfers.
The union took direct aim at the frequent restructuring of the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) curriculum, pointing out that those training guidelines have undergone four separate changes in the past three years. KUTVET argued that this volatility negatively impacts trainees and disrupts TVET institutions’ performance.
To resolve the issue, the union has demanded the establishment of an independent, dedicated professional body to oversee curriculum development and standardisation nationwide.
“The existing curriculum will be improved once it is well done by qualified professionals. We’ve got doctors, engineers, accountants in the sector; all these people are instrumental in designing the correct curriculum that only needs improvement,” Oguwi stated. He added that training, assessment, and certification must directly align with industry demands.
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The union urged the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TVETA) to fully assert its regulatory mandate.
KUTVET also raised serious alarms regarding the security and integrity of national examinations administered by the TVET Curriculum Development, Assessment and Certification Council (TVET CDACC).
Oguwi criticised the current practice of emailing examination papers to institutions that often lack adequate printing resources or budgetary allocations, warning that the process compromises exam confidentiality and risks widespread leaks.
“We have not seen serious exams emailed; that is not an exam. Serious exams should be sealed and opened at the same time,” he emphasised, demanding stricter protocols to safeguard evaluation integrity.
National Chairperson Geoffrey Madege Obwoyele also called out the Social Health Authority (SHA) over restrictive outpatient caps that deny tutors adequate healthcare access.
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Obwoyele highlighted instances where trainers and their dependents are turned away from hospitals due to arbitrary funding limits.
“Members are suffering under a cover where you are given Ksh 5,000 for one month and told to come back another month for treatment. This issue of SHA needs to be discussed,” Obwoyele warned, demanding that limits be scrapped and continuous, active medical coverage be guaranteed for all educators.
The union also condemned college principals for executing arbitrary, unprocedural staff transfers without the consent of affected tutors, warning that the practice disrupts both educators’ lives and institutional stability. “When someone asks for a transfer, it is okay, but just transferring is a no,” Oguwi asserted.
Despite the heavy grievances, KUTVET extended praise to the government for its initiative to fully fund TVET students through the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB).
The union noted that expanded financial support will significantly boost student enrollment, retention, and graduation rates, preventing students from dropping out due to financial distress.
By Our reporter
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