President William Ruto Presides Over First RPL Graduation, Launches Fundi Locator App

President William Ruto presided over the first Recognition of Prior Learning graduation ceremony at State House, Nairobi, on Thursday, October 8, 2026.

The event marked the formal certification of skilled workers whose competencies were gained outside the conventional education system.

Reports gave differing counts of graduates, with the State House ceremony listing 3,772 recipients, another source noting 3,727 certificates awarded, and a third describing over 3,500 graduates.

The training and assessment were carried out by the National Industrial Training Authority (NITA).

Ruto said more than 60,000 Kenyans have applied for RPL certification, with 20,000 jointly funded by the Government and the World Bank.

He added that the Government will finance the certification of the remaining 40,000 applicants.

The President linked the programme to the job-creation agenda, noting that the Affordable Housing Programme requires masons, electricians, plumbers, carpenters, welders, painters and tile setters for its 303,910 housing units under construction.

He claimed the housing programme has already created more than 1.1 million jobs.

Ruto also cited ClimateWorx Mtaani in Nairobi, which has employed 45,000 youth.

He said 701,000 Kenyans have secured overseas employment and 350,000 digital jobs have been created through Jitume Labs.

Reflecting on his time as Higher Education minister in 2010-2011, he said technical training enrolments rose from 89,000 in 2013 to 780,000 in 2022 and are projected to reach 1.3 million by the end of 2026.

During the ceremony he launched the Fundi Locator App, a digital platform intended to connect certified artisans with customers.

He also introduced a revamped Haba Haba Savings Scheme to help skilled workers save for the future.

Ruto urged youth to invest wisely, noting that the Nairobi Securities Exchange market value increased from KSh2 trillion in 2022 to KSh4.1 trillion in 2025.

Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU-Kenya) Secretary-General Francis Atwoli urged young people to practise prudent activism and warned against being used by politicians.

Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua said opponents of projects such as the KSh2.2 trillion Dangote East Africa Refinery lack Kenya’s youth interests.

NITA Board Chairman David Musila and several Principal Secretaries were also present at the ceremony.