KIM students protest TVETA directive to close campuses nationwide

The Kenya Institute of Management (KIM) students in the Kisumu campus on Tuesday condemned the decision by the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TVETA) to order the closure of the institution's campuses across the country.

The fate of more than 100,000 alumni and current students now hangs in the balance following the directive to close the institution and revoke all certificates issued from 2018 to date.

Apart from the alumni, close to 10,000 ongoing students across the institution’s 13 branches and its online campus are also affected by the directive.

The students say the indefinite closure is a punishment to hundreds of students, adding that the authority ought to have considered their plight.

In a statement read by the student leadership led by John Ojijo, they said most of them are in the middle of their courses, saying it’s a huge dent in their academic journey.

“We enrolled in KIM in good faith by seeking to build our brands and careers. We view the TVETA notice not as a verdict of failure but a call for administrative alignment. We demand that the regulator recognises the legitimate expectations of thousands of students in the middle of their modules. Our education cannot be paused by a press release; it must be protected by partnerships,” Ojijo said.

Students are now calling on both the regulator and the institution to resolve the matter as quickly as possible to prevent further frustration—especially for parents who have paid school fees and are awaiting the outcome of their children’s education journey.

Ojijo says TVETA should have put into consideration the fate of the dozens of students before making such a decision, saying students feel punished by the authority, noting that they ought to have explored other avenues to resolve the accreditation queries.

“Our skills are real, our competence is undisputed and our voice is powerful. We are encouraged by a work in progress being undertaken by KIM management to resolve these statutory hurdles. We are at the table and we will remain at the table until every student’s certificate is validated and every classroom is secured,” Ojijo said.

Dr. Muriithi Ndegwa, the Executive Director at KIM, says they have been engaging the regulator and will continue to do so, adding that the latest decision has left thousands of students vulnerable.

“A lot of government functionaries, a lot of people in government, hold KIM certificates. Also in the private sector, people hold diplomas from KIM—in the NGO world and even in academia,” Muriithi stated.

The institution says it has been engaging the regulator and will continue with discussions, but maintains that it has not been fully shut down, noting that learning is ongoing for students taking courses not under TVET.

“There were some upheavals in the education sector some years ago when CIDACC was abolished and its functions were transferred to KICD for curriculum matters, and examination matters were taken to KNEC. We didn’t stop there—we continued with discussions with CIDACC, TVET and KNEC, and that was reversed. As KIM, we have offered CIDACC programmes before, and as we speak today, we were actually on the platform of offering CIDACC programmes,” added Muriithi.

Learning activities were disrupted in several branches, including those in Machakos County and Kisii County, as uncertainty continues to grip students and staff.