How to Confirm a Kenyan TVET Institution Is Registered With TVETA
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Aug 07, 2026 • Guides
The TVET Authority, not the Commission for University Education, regulates technical and vocational training in Kenya. Search its online register for your institution's exact registration status before you enroll in a certificate, diploma, or artisan course.
🎓 Search the register at tveta.go.ke for your institution's name and check its status
Look for "Registered and Licensed", the only status that means full accreditation
⏱️ Check the listed expiry date, since accreditation lapses if an institution does not renew
📩 Match the registration number and county shown against what the institution tells you
A status of "Registered Only" or "Deregistered" means incomplete or invalid accreditation
TVETA covers a different track than CUE
Kenya splits post-secondary regulation between two bodies. The Commission for University Education accredits universities and degree programs, while the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority, established under the TVET Act, regulates technical training institutes, vocational training centres, and colleges offering certificates, diplomas, and artisan qualifications. If you plan to study a technical or vocational course rather than a university degree, check TVETA's register, not CUE's.
TVETA licenses, registers, and accredits institutions, programs, and trainers separately, so an institution can be registered while a specific course it offers still lacks program-level accreditation.
Step 1: Search the accredited institutions register
Go to tveta.go.ke/accredited-tvet-institutions and search for the institution by name. The register lists each entry with a registration number, a category such as Vocational Training Centre or Technical and Vocational College, whether it is public or private, its county, and an expiry date for its current accreditation.
Click through to an institution's details page for its full record before you rely on a name match alone, since similarly named institutions can operate in different counties with different statuses.
Step 2: Check the status field, not just the listing
Every entry in TVETA's register carries a status. "Registered and Licensed" is the only status confirming full accreditation to operate and admit students.
"Registered Only" means the institution has not completed the full licensing process, and "Deregistered" means TVETA has withdrawn recognition entirely. Do not assume an institution is fully accredited just because it appears in the register at all.
Check the expiry date shown against the entry as well. Accreditation is time bound, and an institution that has not renewed on time can appear in historical records while no longer holding valid, current status.
Step 3: Confirm the registration number matches
TVETA assigns each registered institution a unique registration number, formatted by category and year, for example a private vocational training centre entry. Ask the institution to show you this number on its admission or fee documents and match it against what appears in TVETA's public register. A mismatch, or a refusal to provide the number, is a warning sign.
Other checks TVETA provides
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) approved institutions, for learners seeking formal certification of existing skills
A list of registered trainers, assessors, and verifiers if you want to confirm instructor qualifications
Course-level information under TVETA's TVET courses section, to confirm your intended program is one TVETA recognizes
If you cannot find the institution
Contact TVETA directly through the details on tveta.go.ke rather than assuming an absent listing means the institution is definitely unregistered, since new registrations can take time to appear online. Do not pay fees until you have confirmed current, licensed status directly from TVETA's register or by phone with the authority.