Elgeyo Marakwet Governor Wisely Rotich on Thursday, March 23, 2023, presided over the official rollout of an empowerment initiative targeting to address youth unemployment in the County.
The initiative dubbed WEZESHA VIJANA program seeks to identify and sponsor 500 youth drawn from all the 20 Electoral Wards.
Out of this, each Ward will be given 25 chances. The beneficiaries will be taken through 6 months of training in local Vocational Training Centres (VTCs).
The event held at the Governor’s Court in Iten was also graced by representatives from the Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) whose Foundation is injecting Ksh15 million into the program.
Iten, Kapchorua, Chesongoch, Chebara, Kapcherop, Koitilial and Kitany are some of the institutions earmarked to offer the training.
Some of the Courses the youth will be trained in include Building and Construction, Masonry, Agriculture, Plumbing, Hairdressing, Catering and Baking among others.
After the training, the governor said, the beneficiaries will be equipped with relevant tools of the trade which they will use to start up their businesses.
“I realised that there are some people in this World who require a very small support in their lives just to enable them to thrive,” said the county boss.
Rampant joblessness
Rotich who has politically fashioned himself as a leader for the Common man – “Gavana wa Raia” said the reason why his administration focused on the program was because of rampant joblessness among the young people.
The governor said the initiative will not only make a great impact on the beneficiaries but also on their households.
“Given the discussions surrounding the revival of Arror and Kimwarer dams and Fluorspar mining in Kerio Valley, the availability of skilled labour will be in handy,” he said.
The governor further said his empowerment initiatives did not only target youth but also local communities whom he advised to embrace cash crop farming.
He noted that his ambition in the next 10 years is to ensure that every resident in this County will have redeemed themselves from the chains of poverty.
“I have brought the awareness, the seeds, and scouted for a ready market. If there will be any households that will still be wallowing in abject poverty after 10 years from now, they will have themselves to blame. Not me,” said the governor.
Further training
KCB Foundation Chief of Party Caroline Njeri said the partnership with Elgeyo Marakwet is the bank’s Social Corporate Investment.
She however challenged the VTC institution managers to ensure that the investment is not gone to waste.
According to Njeri, after the students graduate, the Bank will train them on how to do Bookkeeping, file Tax returns, register companies and how to access credit facilities.
On her part, Deputy Governor Prof Grace Cheserek called on the VTC Centre managers to consider integrating tailor-made courses at their institutions to cater for the particular cohorts.
The DG also challenged communities where the institutions are located to warm up to establish rental houses in their surrounding to address housing demands.
