The government spokesperson (Col. Rtd.) Cyrus Oguna has urged the youth in Uasin Gishu County to take part in the Agricultural sector as a way to contribute to nation building through provision of agricultural raw materials for local processing and manufacturing industries like cotton and others.
The Government spokesperson who was on a tour to document information on the ongoing government development initiatives and projects in the North Rift and Western regions of the country geared at creating employment opportunities for the youth, pointed out that there are many opportunities for youth in Kenya to indulge in the agricultural sector which provides many employment opportunities.
Addressing journalists during a visit to the Rivatex East Africa, which deals in textile manufacturing, Col. Oguna regretted that the industry currently imports its cotton due to shortage of the product in the country and insisted that it was a suitable opportunity for the youth to chip in and capitalize on the readily available market gap presented by Rivatex East Africa to supply cotton.
“We have been able to predetermine that there is a lot of demand for cotton in this country that cannot be satisfied, it is unfortunate that in order for this company to continue running they have to import cotton from neighbouring countries. And why must we do that when we have land and enough labour from youth who are jobless yet opportunities are there!” exclaimed Col. Oguna.
Rivatex East Africa is one of the projects the government has funded and revived as it falls under manufacturing pillar of the Big 4 Agenda.
“In order for us to grow as a country we must be able to create jobs and the only pillar that can be able to do so is the manufacturing pillar, all the four pillars have a component of manufacturing, for instance in affordable housing, food security and the Universal health Coverage (UHC) we have a component of manufacturing,” he added.
He noted that the youth who play an integral part in the economic development of any nation, need to be empowered, skilled and must have the competence to be able to contribute meaningfully in the economic growth of the country.
The government spokesperson commended the national government for taking appropriate steps to revive the integral textile industry in the country which employs many young men and women.
“The key message is to inform our young men and women that there is opportunity in farming, cotton growing is one area that the youth can be able to participate in to contribute to the economic growth and development of this country. Within Rivatex the entire value chain here ranges from about 6,000 to 10,000 at the current capacity and likely to grow higher,” he said.
Col. Oguna appealed to the young people to move away from the dependency of employment and get to engage in agriculture and be able to participate in supplying the raw materials to Rivatex and other apparel manufacturing plants and companies that are there in the country.
Additionally, he hinted on other upcoming opportunities like the affordable housing which also provide immense employment opportunities for the youth through supply of materials for the projects.
“The government has rolled out several projects all the way from Mombasa to Kisumu on affordable housing, we have Buxtan affordable housing project in Mombasa, Pangani in Nairobi, Bondeni in Nakuru, Lake View in Kisumu and others here in Eldoret, all these have created employment opportunities for the youth,” said Col. Oguna.
By Ekuwam Sylvester
