Tucked away in Butere Sub-county, Kakamega County, Butere Technical Training Institute (TTI) was once a promising hub for skills development and technical education.
Built to empower young Kenyans through vocational training, the institution now stands at the center of a disturbing collapse in governance, financial accountability, and staff welfare. Staff at Butere TTI go months without pay as leadership faces allegations of mismanagement, nepotism, and conflict of interest.
What began as a hopeful new chapter in 2020 with a change in leadership has quickly devolved into a situation marked by unpaid salaries, dwindling morale, and frustrated students, raising alarm over the future of the institution.
At the heart of the crisis are allegations of mismanagement, conflict of interest, and systemic neglect that have left the institution reeling.
Staff members employed under the Board of Governors (BOG) terms have gone unpaid for months, even as funds appear to flow freely to contractors allegedly linked to senior administrators.
Meanwhile, students are also feeling the brunt of administrative decisions, with recent unrest maintaining growing dissatisfaction on campus.
As cracks widen, questions are being raised about the integrity of those at the helm and the role of oversight authorities in addressing this worsening situation.
What follows is a detailed account of how Butere TTI reached this breaking point one shaped by financial irregularities, leadership conflict, and the quiet suffering of workers who have kept the institution afloat despite being pushed to the margins. "Hi Nyakundi. Please highlight what’s happening at Butere Technical Training Institute. Things have gotten really bad since the new management took over in 2020. The principal, Mr. Chanzu Z. Lomolo (formerly from Kisumu National Polytechnic), and his deputy, Madam Violet Pamela Mwale (from Sigalagala, but previously interdicted at Keveye Girls), are running the place into the ground. Trainers employed under the Board of Governors haven’t been paid properly since late 2021. Meanwhile, cleaners and other non-teaching staff hired through two private companies are paid consistently, yet we’ve come to learn those companies are linked to the current principal and most of their staff are from her home area in Lunza. Many trainers have left—some got PSC jobs elsewhere, others just quit. Even those who left are still owed money. The arrears for unpaid staff are now between KSh 8–12 million. The institution got KSh 25 million early this year (2025) and we thought things would change, but only part of the salary arrears were cleared just 13 months out of 16. Since February, we haven’t been paid again. More than seven trainers have officially cleared from the school, but not a single one has been paid their dues. It's like they’re just ignored. Meanwhile, the principal is still involved in the private companies that the institution keeps giving contracts to—it’s a serious conflict of interest. Last week but one, students went on strike after cultural day funds were mismanaged. They say the principal diverted the money and only tried to postpone the event when people started asking questions. The event never even happened. The situation here is frustrating and demoralizing. People are suffering. The place is no longer about training it’s about survival. Please help shed some light on this. We need intervention before the place completely collapses."