Government has mooted a new masterplan to address the ticking time-bomb that is youth unemployment by initiating a framework to establish an enhanced credit fund and align training and skill development to the new age job market.
A draft Youth Bill (amendment) 2024, currently undergoing public participation, proposes creation of a new Youth Fund that is set to replace the Youth Enterprise Development Fund.
The new fund, which will acquire the assets, liabilities, rights, obligations, and the undertakings of the Youth enterprise fund, aims to provide accessible financial resources to youth for entrepreneurship, innovation, and sustainable livelihood projects.
It is also expected to offer grants, loans, and other forms of financial assistance to youth-led enterprises and youth-focused development initiatives while at the same time support training and capacity-building programs to enhance financial literacy, business management skills, and technical competencies among young people.
To bridge the unemployment for Kenyan youth aged between 15 and 34, which stands at 67 per cent of the population, the Bill is also seeking to enhance employment opportunities for out-of-work youth through job training, skill development, and career guidance programs.
According to the Kenya Institute for Public Policy and Research Analysis, approximately 500, 000 to 800, 000 youth enter the job market each year. However, the economy has been unable to expand fast enough to provide sufficient employment opportunities.
Further, the government will be required to strengthen links between the labor market, education, and training systems for the youth and provide safety nets to prevent youth from falling into poverty.
Speaking during a public participation forum in Garissa Town, the Director for Youth in charge of Entrepreneurship and Skill development at the State Department for Youth Affairs and the Creative economy, George Mbogo said the Bill also creates the office of a Registrar of Youth who will be able to streamline youth activities.
“The proposed youth fund is more enhanced and comprehensive because, the current one emphasizes the enterprises of the young people but the proposed new one in this Bill, the youth will be able to formulate proposals and get assistance in terms of capacity building and resources,” Mbogo said.
“The Bill also proposes to have a Youth registrar. Currently, almost everybody says he is doing youth work and at times there is a lot of disorganization in the youth sector. With this Bill, we will be able to streamline, organize and coordinate activities which are specifically tailored for the youth,” he added.
Mbogo said that, there is a need to address the issue of youths being idle, by helping the youth through creative entertainment, where the youth can earn money through entertainment and content creation online.
“A number of our young people are idle. They need to be active and they also need to be compensated, which means being involved in an economic activity where they are also earning which will help them at the end of the day,” he said.
By Erick Kyalo
