TVET Shock as KNBS Launches Nationwide Census Amid Fake Certificate Crackdown
The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics has announced a nationwide census targeting all Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions across the country in a major government push to clean up the sector amid growing concerns over fake accreditation and rogue colleges.
The exercise, which begins on May 20, is expected to collect critical data on student enrolment, staffing levels, infrastructure, training equipment, and the operational status of institutions offering technical courses in Kenya.
Speaking in Nakuru on Saturday, KNBS Director General Macdonald Obudho said the census would help the government understand the current state of the TVET sector and identify gaps affecting the quality of training being offered to thousands of Kenyan students.
“It will tell us what has worked and what has not worked. It will also tell us how far we have gone in terms of TVET institutions and what more we need to inject to make sure things are running well,” Obudho stated.
The nationwide audit comes at a sensitive moment for the education sector following an aggressive crackdown on institutions accused of issuing fake certificates and operating without proper accreditation.
In recent months, education authorities have raised alarm over a surge in unregistered colleges allegedly misleading students with unrecognised qualifications, leaving many graduates stranded in the job market.
In April, two institutions were shut down after being accused of issuing illegal accreditation documents, while several others received compliance notices from regulators.
The latest census is also expected to assess the readiness of institutions implementing the Competency-Based Education and Training (CBET) curriculum, which places heavy emphasis on practical skills and hands-on learning.
Education officials say the curriculum requires massive investment in workshops, machinery, laboratories, and modern learning equipment to meet industry standards.
Rosemary Kimani said the findings from the census would guide future resource allocation and ensure institutions are properly equipped to offer quality training under the new curriculum.
“We have a new curriculum called CBET, which offers practical skills and this means that we require a lot of equipment and resources. Therefore, the data is going to give us the direction to take so that we offer competent training,” Kimani explained.
The exercise follows a March 2026 announcement by the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TVETA), which released an official list of accredited institutions amid fears that rogue colleges were exploiting unsuspecting students.
At the time, TVETA warned that several institutions had been issuing internal certificates without the legal authority to do so.
According to the regulator, the approved list included 34 National Polytechnics, 1,807 Technical and Vocational Colleges, and 1,216 Vocational Training Centres operating legally across the country.
Education stakeholders now say the KNBS census could become one of the most important audits ever conducted in Kenya’s technical training sector, especially as the government pushes to equip young people with employable skills in an increasingly competitive job market.
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