The Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TVETA) has shut down a college in Tigoni after finding it was operating without a licence and issuing certificates it says are not recognised, leaving students exposed to what it described as fake training.
In a statement on Tuesday, TVETA said the institution, which was running under the name Initiative for Skills Empowerment, was closed with support from the Limuru Sub-County security team for violating the TVET Act, CAP 210A.
"In partnership with the Limuru Sub-County security team, it has closed the 'Initiative for Skills Empowerment' college in Tigoni. The institution was operating illegally without registration, in total breach of the TVET Act CAP 210A," stated TVETA.
The regulator said the programme had initially started as a donor-funded initiative meant to offer free skills training to young people, but was later taken over by a Community Based Organization that began charging fees.
TVETA confirms that "They began charging fees for courses like Plumbing & Hairdressing, but with NO qualified tutors, NO curriculum, and NO training facilities."
According to the authority, students only realised the problem after completing their courses, when it became clear that the certificates issued to them were not valid. They had been duped into paying for training they were told would be "examined elsewhere," which TVETA warned that the "papers are not recognized."
The crackdown is part of an ongoing operation in Kiambu County and Machakos County targeting institutions running without proper approval.
Kiambu Deputy County Commissioner Harrison Mutevwa, who led the operation, ordered the institution to vacate the public land it occupied immediately and warned local administrators against allowing such activities to continue.
The closure comes days after TVETA faced public attention over a separate dispute involving the Kenya Institute of Management (KIM), where the institution was found liable for offering unaccredited courses, leading to the flagging of certificates issued from 2018.
Following the Tigoni incident, TVETA Head of Compliance Paul Wanyeki urged affected students to seek legal redress, noting that there are channels available for those misled into paying for substandard training.
He also advised prospective trainees to be cautious before enrolling. He urged them to always confirm whether an institution is approved, saying, “Always verifying if a college is registered on our official portal before enrolling.”
TVETA said the Tigoni closure is part of a wider nationwide compliance effort, with institutions given 21 days to regularise their operations or face similar action.