Kondele MCA Pays KSh 500,000 to Complement TVET Students' Exam Fees

By Kepher Otieno - Reporter

Kenya, 16 January 2026 - Kondele Ward MCA Joachim Swagga has moved to position himself as a key local champion of skills training and youth empowerment after setting aside KSh 500,000 to complement examination fees for students enrolled in tertiary institutions across Kisumu.

The bursary boost targets learners undertaking courses at the National Industrial Training Authority (NITA), Kisumu Polytechnic and various village polytechnics within the city and its environs.

The intervention comes at a time when access to technical and vocational education remains constrained for many young people from low-income households, despite growing national emphasis on skills-based training as a driver of employment and economic growth.

Speaking at the Kisumu Grace Onyango Social Hall, where he addressed more than 1,000 newly enrolled students, Swagga said the fund was designed to cushion learners against financial barriers that often derail their academic progress at critical stages.

He noted that examination fees, though relatively modest compared to university tuition, frequently become a stumbling block for students from humble backgrounds.

“This support is about keeping students in class and motivated to complete their training,” Swagga said.

“Many young people drop out not because they lack ability, but because of small but persistent financial gaps that families cannot bridge.”

The MCA’s initiative dovetails with broader government efforts to strengthen technical and vocational education and training (TVET) as a pathway to employment.

Swagga used the forum to commend the administration of President William Ruto for introducing a KSh 6,000 monthly stipend aimed at supporting students’ upkeep while in training.

He said the stipend was already easing pressure on learners who previously struggled to meet basic needs such as food, transport and accommodation.

According to Swagga, the combined effect of national stipends and local interventions like exam-fee support could significantly boost morale and retention among students, particularly those from informal settlements and low-income households. He observed that hunger and lack of upkeep money had, for years, forced some learners to miss classes, defer exams or abandon training altogether.

“Hunger is a silent enemy of learning,” he said.

“You cannot concentrate in class when you do not know where your next meal will come from. This stipend, together with local support, restores dignity and gives students the confidence to focus on their studies.”

Several students who spoke during the event echoed these sentiments, describing the stipend policy as transformative. Some recounted years of hardship in which they were forced to walk long distances to training centres or survive on one meal a day to save on costs. They said the new policy had reduced the daily strain of balancing learning with survival.

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Ken Otieno, one of the beneficiaries, termed the move a milestone for students pursuing technical courses. He said the stipend and supplementary support signalled a shift in how the state viewed TVET learners, who for long felt sidelined compared to their university counterparts.

“For the first time, we feel recognised,” Otieno said.

“This support shows that the government understands our struggles and believes in the value of technical skills.”

Similar appreciation was voiced by Alice Omollo, Jane Akinyi, Walter Owuor, Millie Adhiambo, Janet Akello and Victor Otieno, who all praised the stipend initiative and local bursary support as timely and practical.

They noted that the measures would not only ease their immediate financial burdens but also encourage more young people to enrol in vocational training.

Beyond education policy, Swagga’s move is also being read through a political lens. The Kondele MCA is widely seen as eyeing the Kisumu Central parliamentary seat, and his growing focus on youth and skills development places him squarely within a constituency that has a large population of young, unemployed or underemployed residents.

In linking local initiatives to national government programs, Swagga appears keen to project himself as both accessible at the grassroots and aligned with broader development agendas.

Analysts note that Kisumu, like many urban centres, faces a paradox of high youth unemployment alongside shortages of practical skills in sectors such as construction, manufacturing and services. Strengthening TVET uptake, they argue, requires not just policy pronouncements but sustained financial and social support that addresses the lived realities of learners.

In this context, the KSh 500,000 exam-fee support, though modest in scale, carries symbolic weight.

It reinforces the narrative that local leaders can play a complementary role to national government in unlocking opportunities for young people.

Whether such initiatives can be scaled up or sustained over time remains an open question, but for the students gathered at Grace Onyango Social Hall, the immediate impact was clear: renewed hope, improved morale and a sense that their educational journeys matter.