Growing concerns over delayed payments to contracted professionals have begun to emerge across public technical institutions, with insiders suggesting the problem may be widespread.
While the full scale of the issue is still unfolding, detailed grievances from staff affiliated with Nyandarua National Polytechnic and Nyeri National Polytechnic have now come to light, providing a glimpse into what could be a larger, systemic failure in settling dues for services rendered. Contracted professionals at two public polytechnics raise alarm over months-long payment delays, hinting at a broader crisis in TVET institutions.
Insiders at Nyandarua National Polytechnic report that payments for work done as far back as six months ago and others completed three months ago remain unsettled.
Efforts to follow up have reportedly been met with silence, leaving affected individuals without recourse or explanation.
They describe growing financial pressure and frustration as they continue to wait for compensation initially expected shortly after their assignments were completed.
Similarly, professionals contracted as external verifiers by Nyeri National Polytechnic in April claim they have not been paid for their services.
The delay, they say, has not been addressed by the institution’s leadership, with multiple calls and emails going unanswered.
Principals of the two institutions have been specifically mentioned in the complaints as having failed to offer clarity on when payments would be processed. "Good morning Nyakundi. For my own privacy, ID ficha. Help me and my colleagues get paid by raising this alarm over unpaid dues from the Nyandarua National Polytechnic for work done 6 months ago and 3 months ago. We also want you to bring to the attention of the Nyeri National Polytechnic principal, Mr. Mwangi, that work done in April by external verifiers has not been paid. We are demanding that we be paid ASAP! Thank you, Kibiru. We are owed quite a lot of money, and calls are not answered." These disclosures, while limited to two institutions for now, are prompting broader questions about financial accountability within public technical training centres.
Observers say it is likely that others in similar situations have are to come forward, either out of fear, lack of access to media channels or hope that the delay is temporary.
The situation is especially troubling given the government’s strong insistence on the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector as a vehicle for job creation and skills development.
For this vision to hold, stakeholders argue, the institutions themselves must model ethical and transparent practices, particularly in how they treat contracted staff and external professionals.
All this, however, appears not to be happening.
According to insiders, the institutions are operating with little regard for transparency or contractual obligation, leaving many professionals unpaid for months with no formal communication or timelines for settlement.
They describe a culture of evasion, where responsibility is shuffled between departments and senior officials remain unreachable or non-committal.
Some have expressed fear that speaking out could jeopardize future work opportunities, a concern that may explain the relative silence from other polytechnics where similar delays are suspected.
Several insiders hinted that colleagues in other TVET institutions, especially in rural counties, are facing the same issue but lack the networks or media access to escalate their grievances.
This trend comes at a time when the broader tertiary education sector in the country is facing serious financial and institutional strain.
Public universities are struggling with huge debts, mass layoffs, and shrinking enrollment, while middle-level colleges and polytechnics are grappling with underfunding and administrative neglect.
In this environment, delayed payments and poor treatment of skilled professionals only add to the erosion of confidence in a sector that the government claims to be prioritizing.
Insiders say the rot is deeper than isolated delays and it's symptomatic of a broken system where accountability is rare and workers are left to suffer in silence.