Kenya’s youth population is considered one of its greatest untapped resources, yet young people have the potential to turn around things by bringing in the energy and innovation needed to spur economic development.
Skill development among the youth is, especially important for our country.
In line with this, the government has reiterated on the importance of enhanced skill development to leverage the country to the next level of development.
Speaking during a graduation ceremony of beneficiaries of Ujuzi Manyatani initiative in Isiolo county, Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Principal Secretary Esther Muoria said there is need for pools of skilled youth in the country to spearhead growth in various sectors.
Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT), a membership organisation owned by community conservancies implemented the initiative whereby youths are trained in different skills at their respective locations, regardless of whether they went to school or not.
Through the initiative, youths are trained on different skills, such as motorcycle and mobile phone repair where they are, even at the manyattas (cultural homesteads). “We will also partner with national polytechnics across the country, which are qualification awarding institutions, such as Nyeri National Polytechnic, to take the youth through recognition of prior learning. By doing so, they will be awarded with certificates of the national polytechnics, which are recognised by the government of Kenya,” said Muoria.
She lauded the institution and said that as a department they will work together with the initiative to ensure that all youth access the skills they need. “This will be very helpful in the Northern Frontier where a number of young people engage in criminal activities, such as cattle rustling for lack of alternatives,” she adds.
Ali Ibrahim Hussein, a graduate of the programme said he has benefited immensely from the training and hopes to utilise the skills he has acquired to improve his livelihood.
Hussein was a boda boda rider years ago, but for the last three months, he ventured into the mobile repair business, which he says has transformed his life. He hopes to empower other youths in Isiolo County to also enroll into this initiative and enhance their livelihood.
“The government will strive to ensure that even that youth who has never stepped in a nursery school or a Form One Class is equipped with the skills he or she needs, entrepreneurship skills and given the equipment they need to go start their own businesses,” Muoria says.
Kevit Desai, NRT Chairman Mashinani Works says Ujuzi Manyattani is an innovation within the context of providing skills to young people. “About 150 students have graduated from the practical training, which enables them to have the necessary skills by way of hospitality, motorcycle repairs, mobile phone repairs and also the repair and installation of solar systems. A total of 1,200 youths have so far benefited from the training,” says Desai.
The cost of doing training per graduate is Sh47,000 (US$1,000).
Desai says in a county, such as Isiolo, which is trying to promote economic generation, skills are important for its development, to gain entry and access into future projects, such as Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia-Transport (LAPSSET)and also access into existing economies within the context of the county. “The initiative empowers young people to take the first step towards better livelihoods and is fully endorsed by the government of Kenya,” he says.
They hope to scale the initiative to 47 conservancies in excess of almost one million young people hence are seeking support by way of ensuring that they create the necessary value chains into the economy, but most importantly the skills and transformation of its capacity in as far as the programme is concerned.
Furthermore, Desai lauded the support they have gained from all the county governments, national government, development partners and the local private sector who have contributed greatly towards the initiative. “The initiative enables young people who may have lacked opportunities or succumbed to a negative vice to seek a pathway into gainful environment, gain respect by the community and most importantly recognise their contribution towards nation building,” he said.
Vishal Shah, CEO NRT Mashinani said that the skills have a huge impact on the lives of many youths and young women in the arid and semi-arid regions (ASALS) of Kenya. “We carry out monitoring of the graduates and give them a tool kit to enable them set up a business. About 98 per cent of the graduates start a small and medium entreprise (SME) and through our monitoring evaluation, we have found out that the graduates are earning about Sh8,000 per month, which is a great boost for many of them in the counties,” says Shah.
So far, Ujuzi Manyattani has been conducted in Lamu, Marsabit, Kiunga and Pokot, bringing skills right down at the grassroot level hence offering a great opportunity for the youth to join the modern economy.
