Tharaka-Nithi County, KCB sign Kshs. 16M deal to expand skills pool

Four hundred youths from Tharaka-Nithi County will receive technical-vocational skills training and access to funding to establish Micro, Small and Medium enterprises over a course of two years.

This follows a Kshs. 16 million deal reached between the county government and KCB Foundation.

According to KCB Foundation, the move is part of its efforts to drive economic recovery by tackling youth unemployment at county level through supporting the creation of Small and Medium Enterprises  (SMEs) and youth skills training.

“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,” said Caroline Wanjeri,  KCB Head of Foundation.

The partnership will be executed under KCB Foundation’s 2jiajiri programme that focuses on youth skills development and job creation through enterprise development, operating across the country.

“Importantly, under the 2jiajiri programme, we not only provide funding to set up the enterprises but also provide business incubation and development services for the beneficiaries to ensure these businesses reach stability and maturity stages” she added.

The deal will see the county youth trained in the technical sectors of automotive Industry, construction, beauty & personal care and domestic services, through accredited locally based TVETs in the county.

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.

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 Kshs. 540M loans disbursed to create 64,186 jobs directly, 35,365 indirectly and 4,158 businesses are currently under incubation.