A 22-year-old youth, Triza Matemba, has found passion in plumbing after gaining skills through the Kenya Youth Employment and Opportunities Project in Kakamega.
Matemba is among 7,840 youth who have been trained under a master craftsman and she is waiting to be examined by the National Industrial Training Authority later this year.
For now, she has been assigned a master craftsman who trains her hands-on in plumbing. She joined KYEOP in November last year.
At KYEOP, trainees undergo a one-month classroom session on core business skills training and life skills training.
Thereafter, a trainee chooses the path to take, either to enrol in formal education through the polytechnics or be assigned a mentor known as a master-craftsman, who is highly skilled in a particular craft having completed many years of training rising from apprentice, journeyman to master-craft.
In both paths, trainees are examined by NITA after completion of training sessions.
While the majority of her friends chose the formal way and were enrolled at Sigalagala National Polytechnic, Matemba was assigned a master-craft trainer in plumbing.
She hopes to open a hardware store to supply plumbing materials if she gets enough funds.
Kakamega county KYEOP coordinator Franco Luambo said master craftsmen are playing a key role in imparting industrial skills to youth.
KYEOP is a component under the Micro and Small Enterprises Authority that targets youth aged between 18 and 29 years.
Fredrick Aoko, MSEA regional director covering Kakamega and Vihiga, said the government has provided funds to 5,937 youth in Kakamega under KYEOP, with each youth receiving Sh40,000.
Aoko said the government has disbursed Sh54 million under Mbele na Biz in Kakamega, benefiting youth with business ideas.
Among the beneficiaries are 10 youth who were each given Sh3 million and 20 others who each received Sh900,000.
The coordinator said more funding will be available once the government operationalises the MSEA fund, which will target youth and enterprises. He is asking youth to take advantage to earn a living.
Evans Okacha, a resident of Lurambi, benefited from Mbele na Biz and used the funds to start an agritech company, E-Mboga, which markets and distributes agricultural produce. It also connects farmers to markets.
“Thanks to Mbele na Biz, we have been able to put quite some footprints in the Kakamega space. We now have a team of five staff members and we have offered attachment to three students,” he added.
Edited by A.N
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