The KCB Foundation has entered into a partnership with the County Government of Busia with a view to support students to pursue artisan and certificate courses.
The three-year programme dubbed ‘tujiajiri’ targets to support 500 students drawn from the 35 wards across Busia County at a cost of Sh35 million.
Speaking during the official launch of the programme at Matayos Vocational Training Centre on Tuesday, Western Region KCB Foundation Coordinator Isaac Osoro said that there was a need to empower the community with whom they interact.
‘Tujiajiri programme is a skill-based development programme that is seeking to catalyse employment and wealth creation,” he said.
Osore added that the programme focuses on self-employment and enterprise development through supporting training on hands-on technical skills.
He noted that a number of youth lack certificates to access employment and also lack capital to kick-start their own enterprises.
“There is also a lack of business advisory skills that can help them manage their businesses,” he said, adding that KCB Foundation will support them by offering technical training skills through the technical training institutions after which they will receive the relevant certificates.
The official further said that the foundation also plans to offer business advisory services to the youth so that they know how to start and run their businesses.
“As KCB Foundation, we are also offering subsidised loans to fund working capital for youth who will be willing to start and run their businesses,” he said, adding that the loan will be at 9 percent interest as opposed to 13 percent interest charged on normal loans.
Osoro at the same time said that the Foundation is willing to work closely with like-minded partners to empower youth so that they can realise their goals.
“In this first programme, we are supporting 500 youth but we are targeting increasing the number during the next financial year,” he said.
The official also said that 40 percent of the beneficiaries of the program will be issued with tool kits at the end of their training so that they can start their businesses.
Busia Deputy Governor, Arthur Odera urged the beneficiaries to make use of the opportunity to have an income and support their families.
“These investments that have been made by KCB and the county government of Busia must give dividends and the dividends we are looking for are your success,” he told the beneficiaries.
Odera encouraged the beneficiaries to steer away from any form of distraction, like drug and substance abuse that may interfere with their career path.
He further explained that the beneficiaries of the programme will have job opportunities at Nasewa Industrial Park which is under construction.
“This county has also embarked on a revitalization programme through value addition in agriculture,” he said, adding that the county government was also extending electricity supply to villages.
The official challenged administrators to ensure that they raise the county’s own source of revenue collection and block all forms of revenue leakages for sustainability of the programmes.
Busia CEC Member for Education Beatrice Nakholi urged the MCAs to come up with a garage in the Bumala area so that mechanics who graduate from the programme can repair county government vehicles at the facility.
Nakholi further appealed to the county leadership to allow those pursuing courses in building and construction to be engaged in building the ECDE classrooms across the county.
“For those pursuing beauty and hairdressing courses, I’m requesting that a section of kiosks being constructed in Busia town be reserved for them so that they can have somewhere to start from.
The beneficiaries welcomed the program adding that it would rekindle their hopes of developing their career paths.
Both the County Government of Busia and the KCB Foundation will contribute Sh17.5 million each to support the programme.
By Salome Alwanda
