Students graduating from Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions will no longer wear academic gowns during graduation ceremonies following new guidelines announced by the government.
Education Principal Secretary for TVET, Esther Muoria, made the announcement on Friday, April 18, directing all TVET institutions to adopt discipline-specific attire that reflects graduates’ practical skills.
Under the new policy, students will graduate in uniforms aligned with their fields of training, with mechanics expected to wear overalls, chefs in culinary gear, and other trainees in professional outfits relevant to their courses.
According to Muoria, the move is aimed at making graduates easily identifiable by their areas of expertise while highlighting the hands-on nature of TVET education.
“Going forward, we are not going to be graduating our graduates in gowns like we have been doing. Gowns are academic, and we are technical,” she says.
“So, graduands in the different technical departments will henceforth graduate in their respective work attire. Mechanics will wear overalls, and chefs will wear the chef’s uniform,” she adds.
She notes that the long-standing use of black academic gowns, largely borrowed from university traditions, does not reflect the technical and vocational focus of TVET institutions.
The directive is issued during the 6th graduation ceremony at Nyeri National Polytechnic, signaling a shift that could transform how technical graduates are recognised across the country.
In addition to the new dress code, the government also plans to modernise TVET infrastructure, equip institutions with updated training tools, and expand staffing levels to match rising enrolment.
Muoria reveals that student numbers have grown significantly from 350,000 in 2022 to about 850,000 currently, prompting the government to plan the recruitment of 1,000 additional trainers this year to meet demand.