The government has enlisted National Government Administration Officers (NGAO), including chiefs and assistant chiefs, to spearhead a nationwide drive to enroll two million young people in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions by the end of the year.
Technical and Vocational Education and Training Principal Secretary Dr Esther Thaara Muoria said the administrators will mobilise youth at the grassroots to help the government achieve the ambitious enrollment target.
Speaking after meeting NGAO officers from Meru, Embu, Isiolo, Tharaka Nithi, Marsabit and Samburu counties, Muoria said the government was scaling up TVET enrollment to equip more young people with employable skills.
"When we came into office, there were only about 350,000 students in TVET institutions. It is now the government's decision to scale that number up to two million," she said.
The PS said chiefs and assistant chiefs were best placed to identify and mobilise eligible youth because of their close interaction with communities.
"We want them to help us mobilise young people into the TVET institutions we have in every county across the country," she said.
Muoria said the government has expanded training capacity by approving more than 254 competency-based curricula and employing 5,500 trainers since the Kenya Kwanza administration took office.
She added that the trainers had been retooled on Competency-Based Education and Training (CBET) to ensure they equip learners with practical and market-driven skills.
The PS urged young people to take advantage of the opportunities offered by TVET institutions instead of allowing themselves to be manipulated by politicians ahead of the election period.
"Unless we give young people hope by equipping them with skills that enable them to earn a living, they remain vulnerable to misuse during electioneering," Muoria said.
She highlighted overseas employment opportunities such as the Mkulima Majuu programme, saying many Kenyan youths had secured jobs in the United Kingdom and returned with valuable experience and income.
Muoria also announced that TVET students would begin receiving government loans from September to support their studies, with repayment expected after they secure employment.
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki's Chief of Staff Gideon Kimathi urged young people to embrace technical training, saying skills development was key to employment and economic empowerment.
He said the government was committed to ensuring more youths acquire practical skills rather than being exploited to fuel political violence during campaign periods.
