1. Radiant Vision, Rotting Reality
In Kenya, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is championed as the cornerstone of national development. It is the bridge between education and industrial transformation. With youth unemployment reaching alarming rates, the Kenyan government invested heavily in TVET institutions. By 2024, the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) had disbursed over KSh 46.8 billion to support nearly 400,000 TVET students across the country.The idea was to equip young people with practical skills and reduce reliance on academic routes. But despite this noble intention, a disturbing trend has emerged. Principals and administrators in many public TVET institutions have allegedly turned these centres of learning into money pits. The very funds meant to uplift and empower the youth are being misused, siphoned, and diverted to administrative luxuries, unfinished projects, or worse—personal gain.
2. Delayed Access, Delayed Dreams
For most TVET students, HELB is a lifeline. Yet, over 80% of TVET enrollees are self-sponsored, meaning they aren’t officially placed by KUCCPS (Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service). As a result, HELB takes longer to verify their enrolment and disburse funds. This bureaucratic bottleneck leaves thousands of students stranded, missing classes, and struggling to meet basic needs.While students are expected to pay fees promptly, institutions delay confirming their registration, exacerbating the funding problem. Behind the scenes, administrative offices are flush with money from government grants and scholarships. But instead of improving laboratories, dormitories, or workshops, the money seems to vanish into murky accounting ledgers.
3. Funds, But Not Facilities
Auditor General reports and investigative journalists have unearthed shocking revelations in several public TVETs. In one county, a workshop project allocated KSh 30 million was abandoned midway, yet the funds were marked as fully used. In another, students share broken tools in ill-equipped labs while the administration flaunts new cars and lavish office renovations.Equipment funded through HELB loans lies idle, some still wrapped in plastic, either due to lack of skilled trainers or because the equipment was procured solely to inflate expenses. The culture of misappropriation has taken root, leaving students with certificates but no real skills to enter the job market.
4. Principals on the Move
In 2023, the government transferred 53 TVET principals due to mismanagement and corruption allegations. But many were simply relocated rather than disciplined. This soft approach has allowed the rot to fester. Principals accused of inflating tenders or paying ghost workers were moved from one institution to another, spreading a cycle of financial indiscipline.Worse still, internal audits are rarely completed, and few principals face legal consequences. The unions representing TVET staff have also pushed back against transfers, claiming harassment. This creates a toxic environment where accountability is traded for job security and political protection.
5. MPs Crack the Whip
On July 1, 2025, Members of Parliament sitting in the Public Investments Committee accused TVET colleges of flouting procurement laws, misusing resources, and failing to complete funded projects. They demanded personal accountability from principals. Yet enforcement remains minimal.Lawmakers uncovered cases where TVET institutions began multiple infrastructure projects without completing existing ones. Some had incomplete hostels and abandoned dining halls, while management continued requesting more funds under dubious pretenses.
6. Unequipped and Understaffed
Beyond misused funds, Kenya’s TVET sector suffers from a severe staffing crisis. Thousands of trainers are on contract terms, earning as little as KSh 12,000 to 30,000 per month. Many aren’t paid during holiday breaks, and full-time trainers are stretched thin.Meanwhile, student enrollment continues to rise. The result is overcrowded classes, overstressed trainers, and poor student outcomes. In some workshops, a single machine is shared by 50 trainees, undermining practical training. The money allocated to address these gaps often ends up in administrative allowances and unnecessary travel budgets.
7. Student Voices: Crying in the Wilderness
A 22-year-old electrical engineering student in Nairobi recounts how he went three semesters without receiving a HELB disbursement. “I survived by doing menial jobs. Meanwhile, our workshop is a joke. We use pliers from 1997, and our trainer keeps apologizing for the lack of tools,” he says.In a Reddit thread, one user lamented, “TVETs in Kenya are poorly managed. The government should audit every coin.”
Students feel disillusioned. The dream of getting practical skills and building a future has been hijacked by greed, inefficiency, and outright theft.
8. Public vs. Private: Uneven Playing Field
While public TVETs enjoy HELB backing, private institutions struggle to access these funds. Even certified private colleges face exclusion from HELB, despite offering better facilities and outcomes in some cases.This double standard fuels complacency in public institutions. Without competition and with guaranteed funding, public TVETs have no incentive to reform. Meanwhile, private colleges starve for funds, and students miss out on alternatives that may offer more value for money.
9. What Must Change
To save Kenya’s TVET dream, urgent reforms are needed:- Centralized, time-bound disbursement: HELB must streamline the validation process and digitize records to cut delays.
- Strict audits: All TVETs should be required to publish quarterly expenditure reports. E-procurement systems must be mandatory.
- Merit-based leadership: Principal appointments should be based on qualifications and integrity, not political connections.
- Include private institutions: Open HELB funding to certified private TVETs to encourage innovation and accountability.
- Trainer welfare: Improve pay, staffing ratios, and job security for instructors to restore quality training.
- Whistleblower protection: Empower students and staff to report misuse of funds without fear of retaliation.
10. A Nation at a Crossroads
Kenya cannot achieve its Vision 2030 industrial goals without a functional, trustworthy TVET sector. The current system, riddled with corruption, delayed funding, and poor infrastructure, will only graduate disillusioned youth with little to show for their time in training.As billions continue to be allocated to support vocational education, the question remains: Who is watching the watchmen? Until the culture of impunity is broken and funds are directed toward their intended purpose, the dreams of Kenya’s young technicians, engineers, mechanics, and artisans will remain just that—dreams.
It is time to act. The youth deserve better. Kenya deserves better. The future of TVET must be reclaimed from the hands of greed and placed back into the capable hands of students and trainers committed to building a new Kenya.
Last edited:
