TVET Scholarship Crisis Leaves Four in Five Trainees Without Funding as KSh14.97 Billion Gap Deepens

A deepening TVET scholarship funding crisis has left thousands of Kenyan trainees struggling to remain in college, exposing a widening gap between government enrolment ambitions and available financing. 

Parliamentary data shows that the State Department for TVET supported only 89,054 of the 440,826 trainees it had targeted for funding last year. 

The department faced a KSh5.2 billion shortfall, forcing some students to depend on MPs, families and well-wishers.

Over three financial years, the cumulative funding deficit has reached KSh14.97 billion, prompting Parliament to summon the Finance Cabinet Secretary

TVET Scholarship Funding Crisis Leaves Thousands Struggling to Stay in College

Kenya's push to expand Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is facing a serious financing problem.

Parliament has been told that a KSh5.2 billion TVET scholarship funding shortfall left four out of every five targeted trainees without scholarship support during the 2025/26 financial year.

The State Department for TVET had planned to support 440,826 trainees, but funding constraints allowed it to reach only 89,054.

That represents roughly one in five targeted students.

The department initially required KSh8.72 billion to meet its scholarship obligations but received only KSh3.5 billion.

An additional KSh1 billion allocation through the supplementary budget provided some relief, but the funding remained far below what the department needed to support all eligible trainees.

The numbers reveal a persistent mismatch between the number of trainees the government wants to support and the money it actually allocates.

TVET Principal Secretary Esther Muoria told the National Assembly Education Committee that the government has worked deliberately to bring more young people into technical institutions but identified the Exchequer as the biggest obstacle.

The department says the funding crisis has persisted since the government introduced the Student-Centred Funding Model (SCFM) in 2023.

Enrolment Rises as Scholarship Funding Falls Behind

The funding problem comes at a difficult time for Kenya's TVET sector.

The government has positioned technical training as a major tool for tackling youth unemployment, building industrial skills and supporting economic transformation.

Enrolment has consequently continued to increase.

The expansion of technical colleges, aggressive recruitment campaigns and the rollout of Competency-Based Education and Training have encouraged more young people to pursue vocational courses.

Nearly 9,000 students who qualified for university admission through the 2025 KCSE reportedly opted for TVET programmes instead this year.

The problem is that government funding has not expanded at the same pace.

For students from low-income households, an unpaid college bill can quickly become a barrier to completing training.

Some trainees have consequently turned to Members of Parliament, families and well-wishers to clear fees and remain in college.

Others risk dropping out before completing their programmes.

The situation undermines the government's wider argument that TVET can provide an affordable pathway into employment and entrepreneurship.

Under the Student-Centred Funding Model, government support depends on a student's assessed financial need.

TVET institutions receive funding through the Variable Scholarship and Loan Funding (VSLF) model, which replaced the previous Differentiated Unit Cost system.

The State Department for TVET oversees 33 national polytechnics and 213 technical and vocational colleges, meaning funding pressures can affect institutions across the country.

Parliament Moves to Confront the Scholarship Funding Crisis

The scale of the problem has now attracted parliamentary attention.

The National Assembly Education Committee chairman Julius Melly said the committee would summon the Cabinet Secretary for Finance to explain the persistent scholarship funding shortages and help identify a solution.

The move puts pressure on the Treasury to explain why scholarship allocations have repeatedly fallen below the amounts required by the TVET department.

The State Department says the three-year shortfall has reached almost KSh15 billion.

Muoria told MPs that the accumulated gap has also contributed to debts affecting TVET institutions.

The funding crisis therefore extends beyond individual students.

Colleges themselves can face financial pressure when trainees cannot clear fees because government scholarships fail to arrive.

The situation could also affect the government's ability to expand TVET enrolment sustainably.

There is, however, some relief in the current financial year.

The department says it requires KSh8.32 billion for scholarships and has received an allocation of KSh9.2 billion, which exceeds its stated requirement.

If the allocation reaches institutions and eligible trainees as planned, it could ease some of the pressure that has accumulated over the previous three years.

But the immediate challenge remains clearing existing funding gaps and preventing another cycle of unpaid fees.

The government cannot aggressively encourage young Kenyans to join TVET institutions while failing to provide adequate financing for those who qualify for support.

The TVET scholarship funding crisis therefore raises a fundamental question about Kenya's skills strategy.

If TVET remains a central pillar of economic transformation, scholarship financing must grow alongside enrolment.

Otherwise, the government's push to equip young people with technical skills could leave thousands stranded halfway through their training.