Lari Technical Training Institute becomes the new institute to join the list of technical institutes in Kenya, constructed a cost of Sh155 million and sits on a 7-acre parcel of land in Nyanduma Sub Location, Kiambu County, to offer special skills on agriculture.
“Lari TTI is a centre of excellence in Value Add Agriculture training based on its location and the environs. Most people here are small-scale farmers and by having an institute that can help them process their farm produce into finished products that can be exported and transform the entire region. The other thing is that this institution also seeks to empower youth and women with technical skills as way of creating entrepreneurship among these groups who made up the bigger population, “says Vocational and Technical Training Principal Secretary Dr Kevit Desai.
Lari TTI has two workshops, which were constructed and fully equipped by Avic International company.
“The dairy and meat workshops are aimed at processing the farm produce that will be provided by the community under a specialized agreement that the institute has signed with different community farming organizations. With these workshops will be able to produce yoghurt, milk, meat, milk powder,tea and other farm products,” comments Mr Simon Njoroge, Lari TTI Principal.
- Sustainable agriculture using Black Soldier Fly
- Varsities put best foot forward with new tech at agri showcase
- Livestock insurance: The new growth frontier for insurers
- New push to raise financing for women in agribusiness
According to Mr Njoroge, the institute has a student capacity of 400 and come April this year it will be opened for learning. Apart from the main areas of focus which are mainly centred towards the agricultural sector, the TTI will also be offering Diploma and Certificate courses which are hands on related.
Mr Njoroge says that: “The agricultural program will be offered at Diploma and Certificate levels, which will cut across the entire agricultural sector from Animal, Plant, Management to Agri-business. At the moment Kiambu Institute of Science and Technology will be the mentoring institute for Lari for a period of time until when the institute ready to stand on its own, this was agreed upon by the government and the board of management of both KIST and Lari TTI.”
Dr Desai explained that the aim of constructing Lari TTI was to offer a curriculum relevant to the area’s cultural and economic needs. He further underscored the importance of creating a relationship between the institution and the community so as to help in achieving food sustainability in line with the Big Four Agenda.
“The institution is expected to instil skills to the local community so as to raise the level of productivity to the residents, who are endowed with a conducive environment for agriculture and promote effective value chain addition and smooth transition of students into gainful self-employment. Only such successes will demonstrate the need for collaboration between the two,” said Desai.
The college Principal expressed his willingness to help the community understand the latest technology and help operationalize their skills constructively.
“This will serve as an assessment centre for local farmers so as to rate their farming skills with the best practices taught at the institution, “concludes Mr Njoroge.
rbiko@standardmedia.co.ke
