The Kenya National Qualification Authority (KNQA) says that at least 80 per cent of Kenyans undertaking technical and vocational work in the country have no certification despite their significant contribution in driving the economy.

KNQA Director General Dr Juma Mukhwana said a huge number of the remaining 20 per cent with certification may not be able to undertake tasks taken by those without.

“The way our economy works almost 80 per cent of people doing Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) work have no certification. Of the remaining 20 percent who have the certificate, some of them are not able to do things that those without a certificate can do, infact those with certificates usually have to do internship under those without certificates to become competent,“ said Mukhwana during a stakeholders’ forum on Recognition for Prior Learning (RPL) recently.

Read also:

Kenya Kwanza Government Will End TPD, Delocalization, CBC Within 3 Months: Sossion

KCPE Results Release in Progress

Government Plans To Create A Database With Academic Qualifications Of All Kenyans

Over 250,000 civil servants To be Penalized Heavily over fake academic papers

Uneducated Skilled Persons To Be Awarded Qualification Certificates By Government

Magoha Takes On KNQA, CUE,TVETA Over Authority To Recognize Of Academic Qualifications

Mukhwana, however, said that the national qualification framework, which sets standards for RPL, has harmonised and disentangled systems in such a way that it is possible to link skills obtained in the informal to those in the formal sector, something that has been lacking over the years.

Coordinated way For a person to be given a certificate, Mukhwana said they must exhibit certain competencies, adding that KNQA has set benchmarks for awarding certificates in a coordinated way. “The national qualification framework is an important tool for connecting all of us, this is what has connected the National Industrial Training Authority with TVET Curriculum Development and Assessment Certification Council, Kenya National Examination Council and universities and everyone has an equal footing. We have created a level playing field,” said Mukhwana.

KNQA has, however, raised concerns that there is still low awareness in the informal sector and inadequate human and institutional capacity.

Mukhwana said that RPL policy framework has also been developed to recognise the fact that people who work in the formal and informal sectors gain knowledge, skills, expertise and attributes through practice.

According to the policy, people can approach any accredited assessment centre in the country and apply for recognition of their skills.

In return, Mukhwana explains that regulatory bodies are expected to provide quality assurance and standards in line with the RPL policy.

The Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA) has been operating without the approval of Parliament, a committee ruled yesterday.

It also emerged that the authority did not forward the regulations to operate to Parliament as required by the law.

The Commission for University Education (CUE) and the Technical and Vocational Education Training Authority (TVETA) had complained that powers to certify qualifications are vested in them and not KNQA.

Read Also:

Magoha Takes On KNQA, CUE,TVETA Over Authority To Recognize Of Academic Qualifications

Government Plans To Create A Database With Academic Qualifications Of All Kenyans

Over 250,000 civil servants To be Penalized Heavily over fake academic papers

Uneducated Skilled Persons To Be Awarded Qualification Certificates By Government

Magoha Leads a Team from KNEC and Ministry in Overseeing KCPE, KCSE Proofreading in UK

And now the fight has spilled over to Parliament with members of the Public Investment Committee (PIC) accusing KNQA of adjudicating the role of recognizing academic papers obtained locally or abroad without the approval of Parliament.

Authority Director General Prof Juma Mukhwana was hard pressed by the committee chairman Abdulswamad Nassir to explain why his organisation was operating without the approval of Parliament.

“What concerns the committee is the fact that the authority has been operating without approval by Parliament, you know very well that that is illegal,” said Nassir.

TVETA overzealous But in response, Mukhwana told the committee that the authority was the only legally recognized body mandated to clear academic qualifications.

He said he would not respond to the question as to why the regulations were not forwarded to Parliament since that was the prerogative of the Cabinet Secretary.

Mukhwana said the whole issue was being engineered by TVETA, which wants to allocate themselves assignments which belong to others. “The TVET boss should be tamed.

He wants to be everything. The law is clear that we are the ones mandated to certify qualifications,” he charged. He accuse the TVET chief of being overzealous and unprofessional.

Four government agencies have launched a fresh fight over which of them is authorized to recognize academic papers obtained locally or from foreign institutions. The ministry of education (MOE), the Kenya national qualifications authority (KNQA), technical and vocational training authority (TVETA) and the commission for university education (CUE) all believe they are mandated constitutionally to verify academic papers, leaving them in a competing situation.

This follows a petition filed by George Bala claiming that the Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA) does not have powers to approve national and foreign qualifications.

According to the petition, such powers are only vested with the Commission for University Education (CUE) and Technical and Vocational Education Training Authority (TVETA).

Justice Anthony Ndung’u , in his November 17^th orders, temporarily stopped KNQA from verifying national and foreign academic qualifications.

The judge issued orders suspending Part III of the Kenya National Qualifications Framework Regulations, which gave it the authority to recognise, equate and verify national and foreign academic qualifications.

Read also:

Government Plans To Create A Database With Academic Qualifications Of All Kenyans

Over 250,000 civil servants To be Penalized Heavily over fake academic papers

Uneducated Skilled Persons To Be Awarded Qualification Certificates By Government

I will not fight for you Unless You Meet These Conditions: Oyuu Tells Transferred TPG Members

Teachers Pressure Group Meeting Disrupted by Men In Black as Members accuse Oyuu, TSC

List Of Primary school Teachers Deployed To secondary schools

List of TSC Appointed Headteachers, principals, Deputies and senior teachers Per County

Justice Ndung’u said the orders will remain in force until February 2, 2022, when a suit challenging the powers of Ministry of Education and the KNQA on verification of academic qualifications will be determined.

Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha has now invited the Attorney General Kihara Kariuki’s office to take over the matter.

“Your office should enter appearance for all the respondents and interested parties in the matter coming up for mention on November 16, 2021,” reads Magoha’s letter to the AG.

Magoha also said: “In light of the issues raised in this petition, and as the head of the ministerial docket under which most of the pertinent regulatory bodies are domiciled, I find it imperative to ensure that a consistent position on the various issued posed is taken.”

The petitioner argues that KNQA has been illegally using provisions of the Kenya National Qualifications Framework Regulations to usurp powers vested in CUE and the other authorities mandated to vet all academic qualifications for higher institutions.

“There is nowhere in the Kenya National Qualifications Framework Act where KNQA is vested with the power by Parliament to recognise, equate or verify national and foreign academic qualifications,” Bala, through his lawyer, Deogratious Omondi.

He accused the Ministry of Education of unlawfully making changes to the Kenya National Qualifications Framework Act by introducing the regulations and giving power to KNQA to vet academic certificates when they have no such capacity.

He told the court that under Section 29 of the Kenya National Qualifications Framework Act, the Ministry of education is given powers to make regulations for verification of certificates but the power does not extend to making regulations that illegally usurp the mandates of other bodies.

“The ministry cannot make regulations that are inconsistent with the law. They purported to confer powers to KNQA and in the process violated provisions of the law which also recognises other bodies mandated to verify the certificates,” said Omondi.

According to Omondi, KNQA is only mandated to set the standards for harmonisation and recognition of national and foreign qualifications.

He stated that they were alarmed in January when KNQA, through its chief executive officer, usurped the powers of CUE and the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority by announcing that it will start verifying certificates.

Omondi told the court that the move was contradictory and in violation of the law since it is only CUE and the other established agencies that have the required systems and trained personnel to verify academic certificates.

“We are in a critical time where persons seeking elective positions are seeking clearance through recognition, equation, verification and approval of local and foreign academic certificates and it is in the public interest that it is the correct institution that is allowed to do the work,” he said.

Bala in his affidavit to support the application swore that he accessed KNQA’s website in October and discovered that they were illegally charging Sh5,000 for Kenyans seeking recognition of their certificates and Sh10,000 for foreigners seeking the same services.

He claimed the charges which also include an additional Sh1,000 for locals and Sh3,000 for foreigners to verify the certificates was an overreach and usurpation of functions they do not have power to perform.

Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA), has revealed plans to establish a database that lists all qualifications of all Kenyans to “improve the process of picking out fake certificates using information and mobile technology”.

The Elections Act, 2011 prescribes a university degree as a minimum requirement for anyone seeking to be the president, deputy president, governor or deputy governor.

The database will include information on politicians, many of whom have had the authenticity of their academic papers questioned.

KNQA director Kilemi Mwiria wades into the debate on whether MPs and Members of the County Assembly should hold degrees, saying such qualifications don’t make leaders. He, however, argues that education would enhance leadership skills.

The body does not have information on a majority of Kenyans. Its hands are tied on this end, given that they work on a request basis.

Read also:

Over 250,000 civil servants To be Penalized Heavily over fake academic papers

Uneducated Skilled Persons To Be Awarded Qualification Certificates By Government

Era of Missing Files is Gone: TSC Says, as Gives List Services of Not Yet Digitized

I will not fight for you Unless You Meet These Conditions: Oyuu Tells Transferred TPG Members

Teachers Pressure Group Meeting Disrupted by Men In Black as Members accuse Oyuu, TSC

List Of Primary school Teachers Deployed To secondary schools

List of TSC Appointed Headteachers, principals, Deputies and senior teachers Per County

“We only check once we have been asked to check or if anyone has complained… what we do is communicate with the institutions involved to find out if a said person undertook a programme at their institution,” says Mwiria.

“Checking qualifications is part of the integrity test. That is why we are forging a close working relationship with stakeholders such as the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations and the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.”

Just last month, the Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) testified in court that Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi had forged academic certificates. Sudi may not have to worry about a pursuit from Mwiria and his team if he decides to seek re-election as MPs are exempted from any qualifications.

“Our job is not to witch-hunt politicians. Our business is to ensure the people who get into jobs are qualified and that their certificates are not fraudulent. If the big shots have fake papers, we will have no problem saying it to their face that they are fake,” says Mwiria.

Kenya has for the longest time grappled with quacks occupying ‘big offices.’ The KNQA boss attributes this to the loopholes that have allowed people to forge certificates, essentially “buying themselves into jobs”.

He further proposes reforms in the education sector that would make competition between schools fairer.

He argues that students from day schools are mostly disadvantaged as they lack the facilities that would allow them to compete with those from national schools, denying them the chance to pursue preferable courses.