3,727 young workers have been certified under the Recognition of Prior Learning programme as the government prepares to roll out three initiatives aimed at helping Kenya’s informal workforce gain formal recognition, access jobs and build savings.
President William Ruto is expected to launch the three interventions on Monday, September 7, 2026, at the National Industrial Training Authority (NITA) Athi River Centre, where he will also preside over the graduation of the certified workers.
The initiatives are Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), the Fundi Locator App and a revamped Haba Haba digital savings platform. They are being implemented under the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) project with support from the World Bank.
Speaking in Nairobi on Thursday, Labour and Skills Development Principal Secretary Shadrack Mwadime said RPL was designed to give formal recognition to workers who have gained skills through years of hands-on experience but do not have certificates to prove their competence.
Under the programme, candidates are profiled and assessed before being issued with certificates that can help them compete for employment opportunities both locally and abroad.
“The advantage of having a certificate is that these young people can then access jobs not only in our local economy but also in the international labour market. Indeed, we are working with the World Bank to ensure 100 of these graduates of the RPL programme access the Canadian market.”
The government intends to certify 20,000 young people through RPL over the next one to two years.
The programme covers a wide range of trades, including mechanics, plumbing, electrical work, masonry, beauty, craftsmanship and information technology.
NITA Director General Rukia Atikiya said the 3,727 workers scheduled to graduate were drawn from all 47 counties and assessed in 48 different trades.
The group comprises 2,166 men and 1,561 women, with women also taking up trades that have traditionally attracted more men.
Atikiya said 17 women were assessed and certified in masonry, while 46 qualified in plumbing and another 15 in light vehicle mechanics.
NITA has also continued to conduct trade assessments across the country. In August 2026, more than 21,000 candidates took government trade tests in 512 centres spread across all 47 counties.
The second intervention, the Fundi Locator App, is designed as a digital marketplace where skilled workers can present their services to potential customers.
Through the platform, artisans can create profiles and be identified by customers looking for workers in areas such as plumbing, electrical work, carpentry, painting and repairs.
Users can search for technicians based on their trade, location, ratings and verification status.
Kenya National Federation of Jua Kali Associations Chief Executive Officer Architect Nyamai Wambua said the application would give informal workers a wider platform to showcase their skills and connect with customers.
“The Fundi Locator is actually an open labour market. It’s a marketplace for your skills. So, for our members, which we want to encourage, already as we have already been informed, they are already in numbers because the app is up and running. It is active.”
The third initiative is the revamped Haba Haba digital savings platform, which is aimed at increasing social security participation among workers in the informal sector through mobile technology.
NSSF Managing Trustee and Chief Executive Officer David Koross said the Fund is targeting Sh1 trillion in savings by the end of the 2026/27 financial year as it works to widen social security coverage.
He said the upgraded platform is expected to bring an additional three million Kenyans into the savings system and double membership within one year.
More than 300,000 people are already participating in the pilot programme.
Haba Haba was first introduced in November 2019 as a way of extending social security services to informal-sector workers. NSSF says members can make contributions using their mobile phones, starting with as little as Sh25 a day.
Koross said the revamped system would make it easier for informal workers to save, while Wambua said wider participation in social security would help workers prepare for retirement and also support their businesses.
The three programmes bring together skills certification, digital access to customers and employment opportunities, and savings, as the government seeks to connect millions of informal workers to formal systems.
More than 18 million Kenyans work in the informal sector, according to government and industry data, making it a major source of jobs and income. The sector also accounted for more than 80 per cent of new jobs created in 2025, according to recent national statistics.