No Certificate, No Barrier: 3,727 Skilled Kenyans Set to Get Formal Recognition

Story by Violet Kerubo & Evans Mutinda

The government is set to certify 3,727 Kenyans with skills acquired through experience as it steps up efforts to unlock employment opportunities for millions of workers in the informal sector.

The beneficiaries will graduate on Monday, September 7, at the National Industrial Training Authority (NITA) Athi River Campus under the government’s Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) programme.
Principal Secretary for Labour Shedrack Mwadime said the initiative was designed to bridge the gap between practical skills and formal qualifications, particularly among young people who have spent years working without certificates to prove their competence.
Mwadime said the beneficiaries had been mobilised from across the country and subjected to assessments to establish whether their skills met the required standards.
“After examination and we prove that they actually have these skills, we issue them with certificates,” he said.

The PS said certification would give workers a competitive edge in both the Kenyan and international labour markets.
He revealed that the government, working with the World Bank and the Canadian government, was seeking to facilitate opportunities in Canada for 100 RPL graduates as part of a pilot programme.
“This is just a pilot to show our young people that the opportunities that are available everywhere in the world are there for their taking, so long as they have the skills and the certificates that indicate the skills have been verified,” Mwadime said.
20,000 workers targeted.

Mwadime said the government wants to dramatically expand the programme, targeting the certification of 20,000 informal-sector workers within the next one to two years.
He noted that about 18 million Kenyans work in the informal sector, many of whom possess valuable technical expertise but lack formal qualifications.
“It is a big responsibility for the government to ensure nobody falls through our fingers,” he said.
The programme targets workers across a wide range of occupations, including mechanics, plumbers, electricians, craftsmen, beauty specialists and IT technicians.
Mwadime said certification would also help build public confidence in informal-sector service providers by assuring customers that their skills had been independently assessed and verified.

The government will also launch the Fundi Loketa app on Monday, providing a digital platform through which skilled workers can connect with customers.
Mwadime urged technicians to register on the platform and showcase their skills, saying customers would be able to identify service providers whose qualifications had been verified.
The verification process will involve institutions including the Kenya National Qualifications Authority and NITA, according to Mwadime.
The platform is expected to tackle one of the biggest challenges facing informal-sector workers—access to customers—while giving Kenyans an easier way to find qualified technicians.
Push for savings
Mwadime also said the government was promoting a savings culture among Kenyans, particularly those in the informal economy, as part of efforts to stimulate investment and economic growth.
“Savings equals investment,” he said, arguing that increased savings, coupled with attractive returns, could encourage more Kenyans to become investors and entrepreneurs.

The initiatives are being implemented with support from the World Bank, with the government hoping to use skills certification, technology and savings to expand opportunities for millions of Kenyans.
Senior government officials have been invited to Monday’s graduation, with Mwadime expressing hope that President William Ruto will preside over the event.
The government plans to use the graduation as a launchpad for a more aggressive nationwide campaign to bring thousands more informal-sector workers into the RPL programme.