A nationwide strike by technical and vocational college trainers has been averted after the Education Ministry agreed to respond to a list of complaints raised by their union, easing the immediate threat of disruption even as disagreements over examinations, staff welfare and training reforms remain unresolved.
The Kenya Union of Technical and Vocational Education Trainers (KUTVET), which represents about 10,000 tutors, had planned to withdraw its members from work over concerns about examination security, poor employment conditions and the pace at which competency-based education and training programmes are being introduced.
The union’s Secretary-General, Kepher Oguwi, said the decision to suspend the planned industrial action followed discussions with officials from the Ministry of Education and the Competency-Based Education and Training Assessment and Certification Council (CDACC).
The meeting was organised by labour conciliator Charles Muniko as the parties sought a way to address the dispute without interrupting training in colleges across the country.
"We have resolved to call off the scheduled strike after officials from the Ministry of Education and CDACC agreed to address our concerns," Oguwi said after the closed-door meeting.
The ministry asked for 15 days to prepare its memorandum for submission to the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection through the conciliator. KUTVET accepted the request, giving officials time to respond to the issues raised by the trainers.
Further consultations are expected as the parties work towards resolving the outstanding complaints and improving the running of technical and vocational institutions.
The dispute comes amid concerns about the financial challenges facing students in TVET colleges, with inadequate funding being linked to rising dropout rates. Figures presented in Parliament show that the State Department for Technical and Vocational Education and Training had set a target of supporting 440,826 trainees through scholarships in the financial year ending June 2026.
However, only 89,054 trainees received funding, leaving the department far short of its target. The number funded was roughly one-fifth of the learners the government had intended to support.
The figures highlight the pressure facing a sector that the government has been encouraging young people to join as an alternative route to acquiring professional skills and preparing for employment.
Technical and vocational training is central to the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), under which the government seeks to develop a workforce capable of meeting the needs of manufacturing, construction, agriculture, digital services and other industries.
Efforts to promote the sector have attracted more students, with nearly 9,000 candidates who qualified for university admission after the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations choosing to enrol in TVET institutions this year.
However, the trainers’ union has warned that unresolved problems within the system could affect the delivery of training and the quality of assessments as institutions take in more learners.
A key issue in the dispute is how CDACC handles examinations, including the safety and timely delivery of examination papers to colleges.
Oguwi accused the council of sending examination papers to institutions by email instead of printing and delivering them as required. He argued that the method created risks to examination security and had caused delays in some colleges.
KUTVET wants the examination process reviewed to protect the credibility of assessments and ensure that institutions receive the necessary materials within the required timelines.
The union argues that examination procedures must be reliable and secure to prevent weaknesses in the assessment system and avoid unnecessary delays for trainers and students.
Its complaints extend beyond examinations to include poor terms and conditions of service, the implementation of competency-based education and training (CBET), failure to deduct and remit union dues, unfair labour practices and transfers it considers arbitrary.
Although the union supports efforts to modernise technical education and make courses more relevant to the workplace, it has questioned the speed at which the new curriculum structure is being introduced.
KUTVET says the modular approach to CBET programmes has been rolled out without adequate consultation with trainers and other stakeholders, raising concerns about whether institutions are sufficiently prepared to implement the changes.
In a memorandum submitted to the labour conciliator, the union said trainers had not been sufficiently involved in the development and introduction of the reforms.
It also pointed to shortages of resources in some colleges, warning that institutions without adequate support could struggle to deliver the new programmes as intended.
Other concerns include uncertainty over course delivery and assessment, unresolved disputes about trainers’ workloads and teaching timetables, and a lack of instructional materials needed to support learning.
The union maintains that curriculum changes must be accompanied by proper planning, adequate resources and meaningful consultation with the trainers expected to implement them.
Oguwi said the discussions with ministry officials and CDACC also covered the review of curricula and examinations. The parties acknowledged that outstanding gaps still needed to be addressed.
The suspension of the strike provides an opportunity for the government and the union to continue negotiations while colleges avoid an immediate interruption of training. However, the agreement has not in itself resolved the underlying disputes, leaving examination management, employment conditions, curriculum reforms and the wider funding challenges among the issues requiring further action.