TVET PS Dr. Esther Thaara Muoria and Chief of staff in the Deputy Presidents office Gedion Kimathi (in red tie) addressing the Media at Meru National Polytechnic on August 4, 2026. Photo by Dennis Dibondo 
By Dennis Dibondo.
The government has enlisted National Government Administration Officers (NGAO), including chiefs and assistant chiefs, to spearhead a nationwide campaign aimed at increasing enrolment in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions.
Speaking on Monday at Meru National Polytechnic after meeting NGAO officers drawn from Meru, Embu, Isiolo, Tharaka Nithi, Marsabit and Samburu counties, Principal Secretary for the State Department for Technical, Vocational Education and Training, Dr. Esther Thaara Muoria, said the initiative is part of the government's ambitious plan to enrol at least two million learners in TVET institutions by the end of the year.
Dr. Muoria said the Kenya Kwanza administration inherited a TVET sector with about 350,000 students but has since embarked on an aggressive expansion programme to make technical education more accessible to young people across the country.
"When we took over as the Kenya Kwanza government, we had only about 350,000 students in TVET institutions. It is the government's decision that we scale up that number to two million learners," she said.
The PS said chiefs and assistant chiefs are well placed to mobilise young people because they live and work within communities, making them effective ambassadors for the government's skills development agenda.
"We want them to help us mobilise young people into the TVET institutions that we have in every county across the country," she said.
Dr. Muoria noted that TVET institutions currently offer more than 254 approved competency-based curricula designed to equip learners with practical skills that meet labour market demands.
She added that the government has recruited 5,500 trainers since the Kenya Kwanza administration took office, all of whom have been retrained under the Competency-Based Education and Training (CBET) framework to enhance the quality of technical education.
"They have been reskilled on Competency-Based Education and Training so that they are able to effectively train our young people," she said.
The PS urged young people to embrace technical training as a pathway to self-reliance and employment, warning against allowing themselves to be manipulated for political activities during the electioneering period.
"As a country, we are heading into an election period. Unless we give young people hope by equipping them with skills that enable them to earn a living, they remain vulnerable to exploitation," she said.
She further highlighted overseas employment programmes such as Mkulima Majuu, saying many young Kenyans have secured opportunities to work abroad, particularly in the United Kingdom, where they have gained valuable experience and improved their livelihoods.
Dr. Muoria also announced that from September, eligible TVET students will begin receiving government loans to finance their education, with repayment expected after they secure employment.
Chief of Staff in Deputy President Kithure Kindiki's office, Gideon Kimathi, echoed the PS's remarks, urging young people to seize the opportunity to acquire marketable skills.
He said the government's investment in technical education is intended to empower the youth economically and shield them from being exploited to cause unrest during the electioneering period.
