High Court Suspends TVETA Order to Close KIM Campuses

The High Court in Nairobi has suspended a government directive that sought to revoke the accreditation of the Kenya Institute of Management and close all its campuses across the country.

Justice Musyoka granted the interim stay on Wednesday, after the institute moved to court under a certificate of urgency to challenge the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority.

The regulator had issued a notice on April 20, ordering the immediate closure of the institution. It claimed that the Kenya Institute of Management had been offering unapproved programs and awarding certificates without the necessary legal mandate.

Under the initial directive, the authority had also declared that any academic awards issued by the institution since 2018 were void. This move had put the qualifications of thousands of current students and alumni at risk.

In its court filings, the institute argued that the revocation was unreasonable and had been carried out without prior notice or a fair hearing. The institution maintained that the sudden closure would cause irreparable harm to its operations and its student body.

The regulator’s initial crackdown was based on allegations that the institute breached the TVET Act by engaging trainers without valid licenses and overstepping its certified mandate. The authority claimed the institution was only accredited for specific programs certified by the TVET Curriculum Development, Assessment and Certification Council.

While the regulator insisted the measures were necessary to protect the integrity of technical training in Kenya, the court’s intervention provides a temporary reprieve. The stay order allows the institution to continue its operations on all 13 campuses and its online branch.

Justice Musyoka directed that the matter be mentioned on April 29 for further directions. The institute has been granted leave to apply for a judicial review, which will seek to quash the regulator’s decision permanently.

Founded in 1954, the Kenya Institute of Management has been a prominent professional body in the region, known for its management training and the annual Company of the Year Awards. The current legal battle marks a significant standoff between the long-standing institution and the government regulator.

The substantive motion in the case is expected to be filed within seven days as the court determines whether the regulator followed due process in its attempt to shut down the training provider.