Hundreds of youth from Tharaka-Nithi county are set to receive technical vocational skills training and thereafter get access to funding to create MSMEs. The training will be conducted by KCB Foundation’s 2jiajiri programme and the County Government of Tharaka Nithi.
The Ksh. 16 million partnership deal will see the county youth trained in different technical sectors. These include the automotive industry, construction, beauty and personal care and domestic services, through accredited locally based TVETs in the county.
Through the 2jiajiri programme, the KCB Foundation aims to formalize the informal sector and create jobs by making deliberate social investments directed at solving the youth unemployment and the stagnation of existing small informal businesses. Since its launch in 2016, 16,408 youth have received skills training under the programme, with over Ksh. 540 million loans disbursed to create 64,186 jobs directly and 35,365 indirectly and 4,158 businesses currently under incubation.
Speaking on the partnership, KCB Head of Foundation Caroline Wanjeri noted, “KCB Group is dedicated to supporting the youth as we continue to navigate the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. A lot of the young businesses were affected by the pandemic, and as a responsible corporate citizen, we believe that we have a duty to support them in the revival of our economy.”
On his part, Tharaka-Nithi county Governor Muthomi Njuki noted that the county is keen in generating sustainable decent jobs and income generating activities for its youth and spur economic development at a grassroots level.
“I encourage the youth in Tharaka-Nithi to take advantage of this programme, as it is fully sponsored and is a sure path to a brighter future. I am keen to see to it that we have a thriving youth owned micro, small, and medium enterprises, where we can even export our expertise, good and services to other counties in the country,” he added.