Career advice · Updated October 2026
Industrial Attachment Vacancies 2026: Where Official Intakes Are Advertised and When to Apply
Every term, thousands of Kenyan university, college and TVET students hunt for the same thing: a place to do their industrial attachment. Big state corporations and research institutes take attachés every year, but their industrial attachment vacancies are advertised in different places, at different times, and often close well before the attachment begins. Students who know where to look and when to apply have a real advantage. This guide lists the official places intakes are announced, shows how two real intakes ran in 2026, and explains the documents you need and the warnings to heed.
If you are not sure whether you need an attachment or an internship, our attachments and internships hub explains the difference. In short: attachment is for continuing students as part of the course; internships are mostly for graduates.
Where official attachment intakes are announced
1. The Kenya Skills Hub list
The Directorate of Post Training and Skills Development, under the State Department for Labour and Skills Development, runs the Kenya Skills Hub, which has a page of organisations offering industrial attachment. When we checked it on 26 October 2026, it described these patterns:
| Organisation | How it takes applications, per the Skills Hub |
|---|---|
| National Industrial Training Authority (NITA) | Continuous |
| Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) | Every year, various fields |
| Kenya Airports Authority | Deadline specified when advertised |
| Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) | Every year, with a specified deadline |
| Kenya Pipeline Company | Continuous |
| KenGen | Continuous, no deadline |
| Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) | Every year |
| Kenya Power | Every year |
| UNESCO | Continuous |
“Continuous” means you can send an application at any time, not that a place is guaranteed. Always open the organisation’s own careers page for the current notice before applying.
2. Employers’ own careers pages
Most state corporations publish attachment notices on the careers or “public information” section of their websites. KRA’s careers page, for example, lists an internship and attachment programme among what it offers and states that KRA does not charge any fee at any stage of recruitment. KEMRI’s careers page links to an attachment portal and an information sheet. Business Radar’s guide to the KRA recruitment portal explains how that portal works.
Bookmark the careers pages of five to ten organisations in your field and check them weekly from about three months before your attachment period. Our list of parastatal and state agency jobs is a useful starting point for finding them.
3. NITA’s ITAP portal
NITA’s Industrial Training Attachment Portal (ITAP) lets students apply for placements and be verified by their institutions. Treat it as one channel alongside direct applications. Our guide to NITA industrial attachment and ITAP walks through it, including signing in with eCitizen.
4. Job boards and county offices
Some employers advertise attachment places on job boards. When we checked our own listings on 26 October 2026, they included an industrial attachment notice from the Kenya Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Eradication Council with a closing date of 21 November 2026, and an attachment and internship opening at a Kiambu television station closing on 20 November 2026. The latest are always on the attachments hub. County governments and county hospitals also take attachés; ask at the county human resource office or the hospital’s training office.
How two 2026 intakes actually ran
Reading past notices tells you what to prepare and how early to apply.
Kenya Power: September to November 2026 intake
Kenya Power’s notice for its September to November 2026 intake offered attachment for a maximum of three months to continuing students on:
- bachelor’s degree and diploma courses, technical and non-technical;
- craft certificates in electrical and electronics engineering (power option), mechanical or automotive engineering, building and civil engineering, and plumbing.
It stated that there were no places for ICT-related courses in that intake. Applicants had to be available full time for three months, be continuing students at an accredited institution, have a valid introduction letter from their institution, and hold valid personal accident insurance for the whole attachment. Applications were made online on the Kenya Power website, and the deadline was Monday 27 July 2026, more than a month before the September start. The notice also warned that canvassing would lead to automatic disqualification.
KEMRI: quarterly intakes
KEMRI’s attachment and internship information sheet says its attachment programme runs quarterly, with intakes in January, April, July and October. It takes bachelor’s degree students in their third or fourth year and second-year diploma students from government-recognised institutions, and attachment is offered only once per course. Students apply at least one month before the attachment period, by hard-copy letter or by email to the address on the sheet, attaching a valid letter from the institution, a daytime phone number and details of accident insurance cover, with the letter addressed to the Director General (Attn: Training Office). Only selected students are contacted. The sheet was published in 2024, so check KEMRI’s careers page and attachment portal for any changes before applying.
When to apply: a simple timeline
| Time before your attachment starts | What to do |
|---|---|
| 3 months | Confirm your attachment dates with your institution. Make a list of target organisations and bookmark their careers pages. |
| 2 to 3 months | Get your introduction letter and insurance details. Prepare your CV and a request letter. Register on ITAP. |
| 1 to 2 months | Apply to every open intake that fits your course. Large organisations often close a month or more before the start. |
| 2 to 4 weeks | Follow up politely. Apply to smaller local employers in parallel. |
Smaller firms, county offices, hospitals, factories and NGOs often decide faster than large corporations. Visiting with your letter and CV in hand can work better than a cold email.
Documents to have ready
- Introduction letter from your institution, with your course, year and attachment dates.
- Personal accident insurance covering the whole period. Ask your institution whether it has group cover.
- A one-page CV with your course units, projects and skills. Our free CV builder works well for students.
- A short request letter. The free attachment letter generator drafts one for you.
- Copies of your ID and latest transcript, and an eCitizen account for portals that use it. Business Radar explains how to log in to eCitizen.
Track every application and follow-up date with our applied jobs tracker.
Warnings
- Do not pay for an attachment place. KRA and KEMRI both state that they do not charge any fee at any stage of recruitment. Anyone selling “guaranteed” placements in a state corporation is a red flag.
- Check that a notice is current. Old notices circulate on social media for months. Look for the year, the intake period and the closing date on the employer’s own website.
- Read the course list. Intakes often name the courses they accept, and some exclude whole fields, as Kenya Power did with ICT in its September 2026 intake.
Once you are placed, start your logbook from day one and plan your report early with our guide to writing an industrial attachment report. Graduates looking for paid experience should read our guide to internships in Kenya.
Key takeaways
- Official intakes are announced on employers’ careers pages, the Kenya Skills Hub list and NITA’s ITAP portal.
- Large employers close early: Kenya Power’s September 2026 intake closed on 27 July, and KEMRI asks for applications at least a month ahead.
- Have your introduction letter, accident insurance, CV and request letter ready before notices open.
- Never pay for a placement, and confirm every notice on the employer’s own website.
Frequently asked questions
When do industrial attachment vacancies open in Kenya?
It depends on the employer. Some, such as KenGen, Kenya Pipeline and NITA, are listed on the government's Kenya Skills Hub as taking applications continuously, while others run fixed intakes; KEMRI's information sheet lists quarterly intakes in January, April, July and October, and Kenya Power's September 2026 intake closed on 27 July 2026.
What documents do I need to apply for attachment?
Usually an introduction letter from your institution, proof of personal accident insurance for the whole attachment, a CV, a request letter and copies of your ID and transcript. Read each notice, because requirements differ.
Do state corporations pay attachment students?
Many attachments are unpaid, and the terms differ by employer. Read the notice or ask the training office. Internships for graduates are more often paid a stipend.
Is it normal to pay a fee to get an attachment?
No. KRA and KEMRI, for example, state that they charge no fees at any stage of recruitment. Treat anyone asking for money to secure a placement as a red flag.
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