One hundred and seventy-eight young people from Marsabit County have graduated from the KCB Foundation and Mastercard Foundation’s Young Africa Works (YAW) program. The graduation, held at Merille Vocational Training Center, marks a significant step toward addressing youth unemployment in the region.
Over the past five years, the YAW program has equipped 8,500 Kenyan youth with skills across various economic sectors, creating and sustaining 43,000 jobs.
KCB Foundation Director Mendi Njonjo highlighted the program’s importance in combating rising unemployment rates. “As a brand, we recognize the rising unemployment rates in the country and the larger East African region, which is why we have taken deliberate steps to address it through our economic empowerment programme, 2Jiajiri. Today, we celebrate the young men and women from this great county who will now embark on their entrepreneurial journey.”
Marsabit County Governor, Hon. Ali Mohamud, attended the event and praised the initiative. “We appreciate the efforts of organizations like KCB Foundation and Mastercard Foundation, who are intentional about tackling youth unemployment and underemployment. Their support goes a long way in ensuring that the young people from our county access dignified and fulfilling work,” he said.
To help them start their businesses, 110 of the graduates received toolkits. Of the 178 youth who graduated, 70% were women, reflecting the program’s commitment to inclusivity.
The program provides youth with technical and vocational training in short courses lasting six to nine months. The curriculum includes practical vocational training, life skills, work readiness, and enterprise development. Each training intake involves six months of classroom instruction and a three-month industrial attachment to address skills gaps.
Upon completion, trainees are either placed in jobs or supported in starting their own micro-enterprises. The support includes business development services, trade-specific toolkits, and access to start-up capital from KCB Bank.
To date, the 2Jiajiri Program has trained over 35,000 youth, helped create more than 150,000 jobs, and distributed over 2,000 business start-up toolkits.