President William Ruto presided over the first-ever Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) graduation ceremony at State House, Nairobi, on Thursday.
This marks a significant milestone in the Government’s efforts to formally recognise skills and competencies acquired outside the conventional education system.
The ceremony saw 3,772 graduates receive certification for skills and competencies in building and construction, electrical work, automotive technology, textile technology, cosmetology and other technical fields.
The training, undertaken by the National Industrial Training Authority (NITA), seeks to certify Kenyans who possess valuable practical skills and have been performing important work without formal recognition of their competencies.
The beneficiaries include artisans, plumbers, electricians, masons, carpenters, mechanics, salonists and other skilled workers whose expertise has traditionally been acquired through experience, apprenticeships and on-the-job training.
“For too long, our country has depended on your skill without recognising it,” the President said during the ceremony.
He added: “Your customers knew your competence. Our formal systems did not. Today, we are changing that.”
President Ruto said more than 60,000 Kenyans have applied to undergo the RPL certification process, with 20,000 jointly funded by the Government and the World Bank.
He said the Government will finance the certification of the remaining 40,000 applicants, underscoring his administration’s commitment to ensuring that Kenyans with practical skills receive formal recognition and access to greater economic opportunities.
The President said the RPL programme is at the heart of the Government’s job-creation agenda, noting that the beneficiaries’ skills are critical to driving major national transformation projects, particularly the Affordable Housing Programme.
“Each of the 303,910 housing units under construction across the country need masons, electricians, plumbers, carpenters, welders, painters and tile setters,” he said.
On the Affordable Housing Programme’s job-creating capacity, he said: “The programme has already created more than 1.1 million jobs and other opportunities. With your certificate, you are ready to claim your share.”
President Ruto also cited other Government initiatives aimed at expanding employment opportunities for young people.
He said ClimateWorx Mtaani in Nairobi alone has employed 45,000 youth, while 701,000 Kenyans have secured employment opportunities overseas and another 350,000 digital jobs have been created through Jitume Labs.
The President recalled his time as Higher Education minister between 2010 and 2011, pointing out that he championed efforts to re-examine the place of technical training colleges in Kenya’s education system and national development plans.
Despite their enormous potential, technical training institutions had for years been relegated to the lower ranks of the education system and were often viewed as a refuge for students who had performed poorly in national examinations.
Deliberate Government investment in technical training infrastructure, he noted, has since transformed the sector, with enrolment rising from 89,000 students in 2013 to 780,000 in 2022 and is projected to hit 1.3 million by the end of 2026.
“In fact, there are students today who get admission to university but choose technical training colleges because every skill matters,” he said.
During the ceremony, President Ruto launched the Fundi Locator App, a digital platform that will connect certified artisans and skilled workers with potential customers, enabling them to access more business opportunities.
He also launched the Haba Haba Savings Scheme, a digital savings platform designed to help skilled workers save for the future and secure the well-being of their families.
The President urged the youth to embrace the culture of saving and investment, including investing in the Nairobi Securities Exchange, noting that value at the bourse had more than doubled from KSh2 trillion in 2022 to KSh4.1 trillion in 2025.
“Do not gamble away your future. Instead of betting your hard-earned money, learn to invest wisely and build lasting wealth,” he said.
Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU-Kenya) Secretary-General Francis Atwoli urged the youth to practise prudent activism and cautioned them against being used by politicians who oppose Government programmes in pursuit of cheap publicity.
Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua said those who oppose transformative projects, including the KSh2.2 trillion Dangote East Africa Refinery project in Lamu, do not have the interests of Kenya and its youth at heart.
Also present at the ceremony were NITA Board Chairman David Musila, Principal Secretaries and other senior Government officials.
