State department for technical and vocational training Principal Secretary Dr. Kevit Desai has said that the government is committed to reclaiming and acquire title deed for 12 acres of land alleged to have been grabbed from Ahmed Mwadani Technical and Vocational Training institute so as to attract investors
Speaking during a tour of the institute, Dr. Desai said that a development partner who wanted to inject Sh.1.2 billion to the institute has pulled out due to land tussle that had denied the institute a title deed
“Recently a development partner had agreed to contribute almost Sh.1.2 billion to this institute but this transaction was not possible because the institution did not have a title deed,” said the PS
He noted that the investor needed security of a title deed for his investment so as to assure taxpayers in their respective country that they had invested well.
“The lack of title deed thus denied the institution access to that amount of money, “exclaimed the PS
Dr. Desai said the institution needs to develop adding that the government has already invested over Sh100 million in mechatronics department and now needs to invest in other departments in order to diversify its capacity.
He called on the Mombasa county government to fulfill its commitment by ensuring that the institution is able to receive the title deed and therefore encourage more investment.
The PS said the area is of strategic importance since it is at the industrial sector of Mombasa where industry and the public sector requires solutions in terms of technical skills for artisans and craftsmen.
Dr. Desai reiterated the importance of TVETs as strategic investments to promote pathways to gainful employment and self-employment.
He urged communities to enroll their children to the institution and ensure that land is provided for the youth to be transformed with gainful skills for their livelihoods.
The PS called on the stakeholders of the institution, the county government and the area member of parliament to effectively resolve the land tussle and ensure that the title is acquired .
The PS said “We will do all our best and it is the reason we are here today to stress the importance that communities need to relinguish this land in entirety together with its title so that it becomes an institution that serves the community, promotes technology transfers, skills development and upscaling.”
He commended the national government constituency development fund under the stewardship of the area member of parliament Omar Mwinyi for complementing government efforts to empower the youth.
He called on the students to take advantage of the available funding opportunities to study at the TVETs institutions where Sh30, 000 capitation money has been availed to all TVETs and sh40,000 made available to secure admission from the higher education loans board.
The acting director of TVET Tom Mulati urged the Mombasa community to send their children to the college where they stand to gain immensely.
He said two years down the line the intake stands at staggering 400 students compared to Konoin which started at the same time now has over 2000 students.
He called on the students to prudently make use of the available resources and give value for money the government and other stakeholders have injected into the institutions.
He equally challenged the institution to reach out to the communities through communication to increase student intakes.
By Joseph Kamolo
