January 30, 2024 (Public Communication and Media Relations)

In a bid to equip the youth of Turkana North with vocational skills, the County Government of Turkana and USAID Nawiri unveiled a Ksh 11.2 Million program for training 749 trainees at Kataboi and Kaaleng vocational training centers.

The program is part of the USAID Nawiri support towards youth empowerment in Turkana through the Ujuzi Mashinani initiative.

At a meeting with Board members of the vocational centers, County Executive for Education, Sports and Social Protection Leah Audan said the program aimed to capacity to build the beneficiaries to secure means of generating income.

“The focus will be on plumbing, welding, automobile repair, masonry, catering, and electrical courses which are so highly sought after in today’s labour market,” CECM Audan said.

While reiterating the commitment of the County Government to promoting the economic inclusion of the youth through education and skills development, Audan called on the board to ensure the vocational institutions are properly managed to achieve the intended purpose.

CECM Audan divulged that plans were underway to officially launch the program to set off the skills acquisition journey for the 749 learners.

The coordinator of the USAID-funded Ujuzi Mashinani initiative in Turkana Samuel Kabulit expressed hope that the program would be a success as it was backed by an MoU in which County Government and USAID Nawiri committed to support the program.

Kabulit revealed that the cash had already been disbursed to the various centres for fee payment. “Kataboi received Ksh 7.1 Million for 475 trainees while Kaaleng received Ksh 4.1 Million for 274,” he said.

Kablit added that USAID Nawiri had further invested up to Ksh 20 Million to equip vocational institutions across the County to offer the much-needed courses under the Ujuzi Mashinani initiative.

The program comes at a time when the County Government has rolled out an Education Fund in which Ksh 534 Million was allocated for bursaries, scholarships, and educational loans.

The Fund considers trainees of the vocational institutions as eligible to apply for the bursaries and scholarships.

Stephen Eregae (Director, Vocational Training), Jeremiah Eyapan (Deputy Director, Vocational Training), and John Karanja (Assistant Director, Vocational Training) were present.

David Rotich and Victor Kamadi (Livelihood advisors) were part of the USAID Nawiri team.