An additional 456 deserving households in West Pokot county have benefited from the poverty graduation programme which is being implemented by the county.
Under the initiative, identified households are given seed capital that aims to help them start businesses that can generate income.
In the latest lot of beneficiaries, Ksh 2.8 million was disbursed.
Those who benefited are from Siyoi, Endough and Weiwei wards.
The county government of West Pokot is implementing the initiative in partnership with Village Enterprise.
“This second round of funding builds on the earlier disbursement of KSh 2.7 million, which supported a further 441 participants,” West Pokot Governor Simon Kachapin said.
Currently, the programme covers 897 households, all of whom have undergone training in business and financial literacy to help them start small businesses and generate sustainable incomes.
“I am glad to note that through our monitoring systems, we are already seeing encouraging results as participants have formed savings groups, currently saving an average of KSh 135,000 monthly,” the county boss revealed.
He further pointed out that the initiative is part of his government’s broader strategy to reduce extreme poverty, which still affects 26.3% of the West Pokot population.
It complements other programs such as Ondoa Nyasi, which is replacing grass-thatched houses with safer homes and the bursary schemes that support education for vulnerable children.
“To ensure long-term impact, we have passed the Poverty Graduation Policy and Bill and allocated KSh 10 million in the upcoming budget to expand the programme,” Kachapin said.
He also appreciated Village Enterprise, the Gender and Finance departments, local leaders and community stakeholders for their continued commitment.
