Garissa county has built and equipped 30 ICT centres in three years to provide job training for young people.
Outgoing CEC for Education, Vocational Training and ICT Habiba Nasib said on Tuesday the centres - one for every ward - are complete.
She said they are fully furnished and will be commissioned by Governor Ali Korane "at any time".
Speaking when she handed over the docket to incoming CEC Ahmednadhir Omar, formerly of health, Habiba said the campaign to enrol youth in vocational training has been successful.
The CEC said in three years, more than 2,000 youths had acquired technical skills and been given starter kits for self-reliance.
On Early Childhood Development Education, Habiba said 10 new ECD schools have been constructed for the increasing number of children enrolling.
She said the county has continued to support school feeding programmes for the three years to encourage enrolment in ECD centers.
“We have also constructed a model ECD center at Bulla College, an administration block and four lecture halls at Mikono Technical College, all to empower our youth and address the problem of unemployment," she said.
Habiba commended the partnership with Unicef, WFP, the Kenya Red Cross and the Aga Khan Foundation in supporting both ECD schools and vocational training centres.
She also acknowledged the support from Kenya Commercial Bank and Tullow Oil who sponsored 70 county youth to institutions in Nairobi for advanced technical training.
The International Labour Organization also sponsored 21 young people in technical training courses at the East African Institute in Nairobi three years ago.
The CEC, who moves to Lands, Housing and Urban Services, urged the incoming executive to ensure the ECD bill and ECD policy, which are at an advanced stages, are passed into law.
The ECD bill addresses the rights of ECD children, establishes and registers ECD centers, including the existing ones, and manages ECD schools.
Omar said he will ensure quality services, professional integrity and innovation creativity are adhered to.
The handing over was witnessed by chief officer for ICT, E-Governance and Library Services Rashid Farah, chief officer for Public Service and Labour Relations Nimo Mohamed Abdi and ECD director Ahmed Bashir.
(Edited by V. Graham)
