The government has launched a nationwide drive to certify skills acquired outside formal education through the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) program, in a move aimed at enabling thousands of youths to compete for jobs locally and abroad.
Speaking during a press briefing in Voi, Taita Taveta County, Labour and Skills Development PS, Shadrack Mwadime, said RPL is cornerstone of the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) program, designed to unlock economic opportunities for young people by formally recognizing skills gained through informal work, apprenticeships, and talent.
Under RPL, youths with proven competencies will be assessed and awarded nationally recognized certificates, allowing them to access employment opportunities on equal footing with those who followed formal training pathways.
“If we give a youth a certificate, they can be able to secure a job here in our own local economy, or they can even secure a job abroad,” said Mwadime, noting that RPL certificates are officially recognized and portable across labour markets.
He added that the government was working with development partners to expand opportunities beyond Kenya.
“We are in liaison with the World Bank and also the government of Canada. We are trying to ensure that about 100 young people who will attain the RPL certificate are able to access the international labour market in Canada and other European countries,” he said.
The PS announced that 68,000 youths who applied for RPL through the *254# platform will begin awareness and screening exercises across the 47 counties from January 26 to January 31, 2026.
He said the entire cohort will undergo a structured certification process until all successful candidates receive certificates for their skills and talents.
According to Mwadime, the National Industrial Training Authority (NITA) will be responsible for administering the examinations, and they have already sent bulk SMS notifications to shortlisted applicants.
He explained that the screening phase will verify applicants’ competencies before assessment.
“The government has already sent out teams across all the counties to do awareness and screening to ascertain whether the 68,000 who applied, have the skills or not,” he said, adding that only applicants who receive official SMS messages will be allowed to participate in the exercise.
He cautioned youths against fraudsters purporting to facilitate access to the program warning that, “If you don’t get an SMS from NITA telling you to go to the named polytechnics, or a different date other than the ones listed in the websites of NITA and the State Department for Labour and Skills Development, then you are not in the list and don’t fall prey of these con people.”
In Taita Taveta County, screening will take place in its four sub-counties on January 27 at Mwanjila Youth Polytechnic in Mwatate, Taveta Youth Polytechnic in Taveta, Voi Youth Polytechnic in Voi and Kidaya Ngerenyi Vocational Training Centre in Wundanyi.
Mwadime said more than 8,000 youths from the county applied, reflecting a strong uptake of the program.
Following screening, the certification process will proceed in phases. From February 2 to February 6, candidates will submit their Portfolios of Evidence in all counties and receive feedback on screening outcomes.
Between February 9 and February 13, summative evaluations, which will be covering both practical and written assessments will be conducted by mobilized TVET lecturers to determine competence.
Results of the summative assessments are scheduled for release on February 18, with transcripts scheduled for issuance by February 23, detailing scores across skill categories. Certificates will be awarded three to four weeks later to successful candidates.
Supported by World Bank funding, the PS said the objective of the programme is to certify at least 20,000 Kenyans in the first phase.
“If we will be able to certify these 20,000 Kenyans to begin with in this first phase, we can be rest assured that going forward, we will be able to do more massive certifications, so that no one falls through our fingers. We don’t want even a single youth, despite the level of education to remain behind,” he said.
While emphasizing RPL, Mwadime also outlined other NYOTA components meant to complement certification with income pathways.
These include business development support, where qualified youths receive Sh50,000 in two tranches and On-the-Job Experience placements that offer stipends to help participants gain workplace exposure.
He said the broader strategy mirrors successful economies such as Germany, which rely on skilled artisans and small and medium enterprises to drive growth, an approach Kenya is seeking to emulate.
Mwadime said the government’s long-term goal is to ensure that youths at the bottom of the economic pyramid are enabled to sustain themselves through certified skills, adding that RPL will continue beyond the NYOTA program.
“What we are targeting is to ensure that all Kenyans at the bottom of the economic pyramid have been enabled and have received a certificate, so that they can sustain themselves in life,” he said, urging eligible youths to follow official channels and participate in the ongoing nationwide exercise.
By Arnold Linga Masila
