Youth seeking technical skills no longer need to worry about conflicting pathways between national and county institutions. The Senate Committee on Education was assured on Tuesday that National Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions are operating fully within the law and complement county Vocational Training Centres (VTCs) rather than competing with them.
Principal Secretary for the State Department for Technical and Vocational Education and Training, Esther Muoria, told senators that the legal framework clearly defines the roles of national and county institutions.
“Technical training by National TVET institutions is provided within the confines of the Constitution of Kenya 2010 and the relevant sector Laws,” she said.
Muoria explained that the Constitution assigns pre-primary education, village polytechnics, homecraft centres, and childcare facilities to County Governments, while universities, research institutions, and tertiary colleges fall under the National Government. This legal distinction, she said, underpins the complementary roles of the two systems.
Responding to concerns that national institutions offering Modules 1, 2, and 3 might affect county enrolment, Muoria clarified that National TVETs are legally permitted to offer higher-level qualifications.
“National TVET institutions can offer training up to Higher Diploma, whereas Vocational Training Centres are limited to Artisan certification. There is no legal barrier for national institutions to offer higher qualifications,” she noted.
The PS also urged the committee to view the sector as a single, unified pathway under the Kenya National Qualifications Framework (KNQF). “Technical training at National TVETs and VTCs forms one common sub-framework aimed at building technical skills. It is not two separate pathways,” she said.
Senator Johnes Mwaruma asked about student registration trends under the new modular curricula. Muoria explained that, since May 2025, Grade Test trainees are no longer registered in TVETs. “By July 2025, only 10,207 out of 455,680 CBET trainees were Grade Test Trainees, accounting for just 2 percent of total enrolment,” she reported.
On financing, Muoria recalled the Sh 2 billion annual Subsidized Vocational Training Centres Support Grant (SVTCSG) introduced in 2017/2018. By the end of FY 2020/2021, a total of Sh 6.96 billion had been disbursed to counties, benefiting around 200,000 students. She said the grant contributed to doubling VTC enrolment from 58,000 to 128,947 trainees.
Regarding quality assurance, the PS emphasized that the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TVETA) regulates both national and county institutions. “TVETA ensures standards are maintained across all TVET institutions, public and private, under both national and county management,” she said.
ODM-nominated Senator Betty Montet sought clarification on audit consistency and the cost of modularised Competency-Based Education and Training (CBET).
Muoria explained that audits have been consistently conducted in over 1,200 VTCs nationwide. She added that the shift to modularisation has rationalised fees rather than increased them, with total charges reduced from an average of Sh 40,396 per term to a capped Sh 35,000, covering tuition, assessment, and materials.
Looking ahead, the PS said the State Department will continue working with counties to raise standards and expand access, highlighting that enrolment still falls short of national targets despite the millions of youth out of education, employment, or training.
