Prospective students who reported to a Nakuru college on Monday, December 16, were left distraught after discovering that what they thought was a training institute might have been a scheme to siphon money from them.
Some of the students reported having enrolled to study computer courses but on arrival at the institution, there were no computers available for them but empty halls.
Benson Macharia, an activist and chairperson of Friends of Devolution and Accountability Forum, stated that they had discovered the rot during a crackdown after getting wind of registrations being done in the building over the past week.
“We heard reports that some students had even paid fees and were told to report today to start their computer classes but we have not found any computers in the whole building. They do not even have desks. What kind of school is that?” he lamented.
“We know they are targeting form four leavers to extort them so we are here as parents and activists to denounce this fraud happening in Nakuru. Parents are being robbed of their money by people purporting to be teachers.”
He also confirmed that after going to the director of Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutes, he confirmed that the college was not registered in their system.
“They do not have a license, a public health clearance, or anything else required to run a college and they call themselves Nakuru Technical Training College,” he added.
A student who had enrolled to study computer packages at the institution in a bid to score online job opportunities as backed by President also expressed his disappointment after arriving at the institution.
“I enrolled because the government encourages us to embrace digital skills. But after paying, I found no single computer at the college. They promised training but delivered empty promises. This is a scam,” he declared.
Once they raided the college to demand answers, they revealed that the landlord could not provide a 5-year lease required for training institutions and that the directors of the institution fled.
In the intricate plot, branded brochures and the college drawing were advertised to unwitting Nakuru residents who were thirsting for higher education.
To stop the spread of this vice, the activists announced plans to visit all institutions in the area to ascertain they hold credible credentials.
In the meantime, he urged parents and students to utilise the services of certified institutions that had resources needed for their intended courses of study.
Macharia also added that the matter had already been reported to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and urged the government to intervene and have a crackdown on fake colleges.
“Just like how they vetted boarding facilities in the country and closed over 300 of them, let the director of TVET do the same,” another concerned activist stated.
Source: kENYANS.CO.KE