Kenya’s technical and vocational education sector has suffered a major setback after the African Development Bank (AfDB) withdrew Sh335 million from a key upgrade programme, citing repeated delays.
The funding cut threatens scholarships and essential resources for many students, while slowing efforts to expand vocational training.
Launched in 2015 with a Sh7.2 billion commitment, the project aimed to modernise selected TVET institutions over five years, improving infrastructure, equipment, and staff capacity to boost youth employment.
However, slow processing of contracts and delayed disbursements, attributed to bureaucracy in the Ministry of Education and the National Treasury, stalled progress.
“The red tape in the Ministry of Education, together with the National Treasury, was instrumental in the slowed processing of disbursements, leading to delayed contract execution,” the AfDB said in its completion report.
The bank noted that delays meant the full ADF funding of UA 41 million (Sh7.2 billion) could not be utilised. The programme targeted the construction of workshops and hostels, the provision of equipment, training of tutors, and scholarships for needy youth to improve access and relevance of technical education.
By the end of the programme, 544 tutors had been trained against a target of 600, and 3,000 students received scholarships, achieving those goals.
Despite these successes, only 10 of the intended 33 institutions received fully equipped engineering and applied sciences workshops, with two more still under construction at project closure.
The bank warned that without additional support, the sector remains under-equipped to handle increasing demand for technical and vocational skills.
