The Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TVETA), in a joint operation with the Limuru Sub County Security Team on Tuesday, April 28, closed the Initiative for Skills Empowerment College for operating in total breach of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Act, Cap 210A.
According to the reports, the college based in Tigoni, Kiambu County, has been charging students fees for courses originally designed to be free, and was operating without registration and issuing worthless certificates.
The institution had originally been established in 2020 as a donor project under Rev. Bill of Rehoboth Community to offer free skills training to needy youth at the Tigoni Technical Centre. However, a local community based organisation later took over the facility, renamed it Initiative for Skills Empowerment, and began charging students for courses including Plumbing, Electrical Installation and Bakery, despite having no equipment, no approved curriculum and no qualified trainers.
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The closure followed a stakeholders’ meeting led by Limuru Deputy County Commissioner (DCC) Harrison Mutevwa and TVETA Head of Compliance Dr. Paul Wanyeki, during which affected students learned that any certificates the institution had issued were invalid.
Students were also found to have been attending classes in substandard facilities with broken down sanitation infrastructure and had been given vague assurances about sitting examinations at unspecified external centres.
Mutevwa ordered the college to vacate the public land it had been occupying immediately and warned local administration officials against abetting illegal learning institutions operating in their areas.
“Our role is to protect the public from exploitation. Ensure your child is in a registered public or private institution to avoid losing money and time,” Mutevwa said.
Dr. Wanyeki advised affected students to seek legal redress against the community based organisation to recover fees paid, noting that mechanisms exist to address such grievances. He also urged prospective students nationwide to verify whether any institution is listed on the TVETA registration portal before enrolling.
The Tigoni shutdown is part of a broader nationwide compliance crackdown by TVETA, with institutions currently given a 21 day notice to regularise their operations or face closure.
By Benedict Aoya
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