County Government Rolls Out Sh 30M Wezesha Vijana Program
Elgeyo Marakwet Governor Wisely Rotich on Thursday presided over the official roll out of an empowerment initiative targeting to address youth unemployment in the County.
The initiative dubbed WEZESHA VIJANA program seeks to identify and sponsor 500 youth drawn from all the 20 Electoral Wards.
Out of this, each Ward will be given 25 chances. The beneficiaries will be taken through 6 months’ training in local Vocational Training Centres VTCs.
The event held at the Governor’s Court in Iten was also graced by representatives from the Kenya Commercial Bank KCB whose Foundation is injecting Sh15 million to the program.
Iten, Kapchorua, Chesongoch, chebara kapcherop, Koitilial and Kitany are some of the institutions earmarked to offer the training.
Some of the Courses the youth will be trained on include Building and construction, masonry, Agriculture, plumbing, hairdressing, catering and Baking among others.
After the training,the governor said the beneficiaries will be equipped with relevant tools of trade with which they will use to start up their businesses.
” I realised that there are some people in this World who require a very small support in their lives just to enable them thrive,” said the Governor.
Rotich who has politically fashioned himself as a leader for Common man,_ “Gavana wa Raia” said the reason why his administration focused on the program was because of rampant joblessness among the young people.
The governor said the initiative will not only make a great impact to the beneficiaries but also their households.
“Given the discussions surrounding the revival of Arror and Kimwarer dams and Fluorspar mining in Kerio Valley, the availability of skilled labour will be in handy,” said the Governor .
The governor said his empowerment initiatives did not only target youth but also local communities whom he advised to embrace cash crop farming.
He said his ambition in the next 10 years is to ensure that every resident in this County will have redeemed themselves from the chains of poverty.
“I have brought the awareness, the seeds, and scouted for ready market. If there will be any household who will still be wallowing in abject poverty after 10 years from now, they will have themselves to blame. Not me” said the governor.
KCB foundation Chief of Party Ms Caroline Njeri said the partnership with Elgeyo Marakwet through KCB Foundation is the bank’s Social Corporate Investment.
She however challenged the VTC institution managers to ensure that the investment is not gone to waste.
According to Njeri, after the students graduate, the Bank will train them on how to do Book keeping, filing Tax returns, register companies and how to access credit facility.
Deputy Governor H.E. Prof Grace Cheserek called on the VTC Centre managers to consider integrating tailor-made courses at their institutions to cater for the particular cohorts.
The DG challenged communities where the institutions are located to warm up to establish rental houses in their surrounding to address housing demands.
According to Ms Purity Kiptoo, a county official, Ward Administrators are instrumental in identification of the potential beneficiaries and the training will start in May, this year.
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