The Principal Secretary State Department of Vocational and Technical Training (VTT) Dr. Margaret Mwakima has put on notice all contractors involved in the construction and maintenance of vocational training centres, institutions and national polytechnics across the country.
The PS said she has personally had meetings with all the contractors involved with her department and they have been informed on the quality of work expected from them and that government is not willing to compromise.
Mwakima made these remarks when she visited Ngeria Technical Vocational centre, where the government will be forced to inject a further Sh46 million to complete the project after the first contract was terminated due to substandard work.
The PS said the project was retendered and a contractor was already on site. “The first contractor used substandard material on the first floor of the project, and after consultation, it was decided that his contract be terminated,” she said.
She said her department has carried out a status update of all the construction works going on in technical vocational centres and institutions and have come up with timelines and a Rapid Result Initiative, RRI methodology that must be followed by the contractors.
“We expect the contractors to complete the projects within the stipulated timeline,” she said.
The PS added that any contractor who will be found doing substandard work, using low-quality materials, and hasn’t finished the work within the given time will be fired.
Mwakima added that around 70% of the 600,000 students who sat for their KCSE last year were expected to be absorbed into vocational institutions and centres.
“Because of the 100 per cent transition rule, a good number of our youths are out there; therefore, we expect the contractors to finish their work on time to accommodate more students to technical training institutions,” she said.
The government, she said is committed to building one technical vocational centre (TVC) in every constituency and at the moment there are 70 TVC’s under construction across the country.
“Our ultimate goal is to have at least one national polytechnic in every county,” she said.
Earlier, the PS unveiled the name of Dr. Edwin Tarno Virtual Learning Centre at Rift Valley Technical Training, where she said technological innovation is the key to breaking barriers and restrictions brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic especially in the education and training sectors.
By Brian Kipkenei and Kiptanui Cherono
