David Erukudi
County Executive Committee Member
Epuu Joseph Elim
Chief Officer-Youth and Gender Affairs
Overview
The Ministry of Trade, Enterprise Development, Cooperatives, Gender and Youth Affairs Sector incorporates both product and service industries. The sector comprises of the following sub-sectors namely Cooperative Development and Marketing, Trade Development, Consumer Protection & fair trade practices and Markets Infrastructure Development. The sector is a significant player in the BETA plan in terms of manufacturing/value addition and food security. The sector also contributes to job and wealth creation, Enterprise Development, investments and promotion of trade, savings mobilization and co-operative development.
The Youth and Gender Sub-sector find its relevance as it is core to the realization for promotion of equality of all, opportunities between women, men, girls and boys, to ensure that development efforts have equity of impact on all, and ensures that no one is left behind. This mandate is achieved through inter-sectoral and forming synergies with other stakeholders and priorities inter alia; youth infrastructure, capacity enhancement, research and data management, youth representation and coordination, youth and women empowerment, gender empowerment and advocacy, gender mainstreaming and coordination Gender Based Violence infrastructure and legal frameworks. Youth, Gender and the Capabilities Approach to Development investigates to what extent young people have access to fair opportunities, the factors influencing their aspirations, and how able they are to pursue these aspirations and to carry out their life plans. Gender and youth policy guides Gender Mainstreaming; Affirmative Action Funds; Access to Government Procurement Opportunities; Prevention and Response to Gender Violence; and Increasing Number of Women in Leadership and Decision-making.
The Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) 2023/2024 -2026/2027 conforms with the constitutional requirement that the budget process should be guided by a development plan. The implementation of the sector programmes/projects is informed by: The BETA Plan, Kenya development blueprint- Kenya Vision2030, the Africa Agenda 2063, Agenda 2030 on Sustainable Development, Bottom Up Economic Transformative Agenda and the Governor’s 9-point agenda. The sector is also guided by other regional and international commitments.
The sub-sector’s main concern for the MTEF period is to bolster and strengthen youth and gender development outputs to fully engage men and women, boys and girls to partake voluntarily in their roles and obligations so as to align with the present day requirement of life expectations about their commitment towards realization of the programmes core mandate and strategic goals and objectives.
Vision
To be a global leader in promoting trade investment, Industrial and sustainable cooperative sector as well as championing for youth empowerment and a gender equitable society
Mission
To promote the growth of vibrant and profitable cooperatives, financing sustainable SMEs, encouraging fair trading practices and promote youth affairs and affirmative action.
Strategic Goals/Objectives of the Sector
1. To promote Trade, broaden Export Base and Markets as well as undertake county branding of products and provide efficient support service delivery for enterprise development.
2. To provide standards for consumable products & Support to MSMEs.
3. To promote co-operative sector development and improve governance and management of cooperative societies.
4. To contribute towards Gender Equality and protection of vulnerable groups in order to achieve social economic and sustainable development.
5. Promotion of Transformative Youth Empowerment with focus on employability and live skills, talent and entrepreneurship development.
6. Develop, implement and co-ordinate investment strategy for promoting Turkana as a preferred destination.
7. Enhance access to youth empowerment opportunities.
8. Promote women and girl empowerment and enhance men’s and boys’ engagement and inclusion.
Key achievements for FY 2022/2023
1. Constructed a Modernized retail and fresh produce market in Lodwar at a cost of 30M.
2. New market in Lokitaung’ at a cost of 19M.
3. The sector trained over 4,300 traders across the county on basic business skills, with the support from partners i.e GIZ, Save the Children and Mercy Corps.
4. The sector disbursed Ksh. 85,675,000 to various business groups across the county to provide capital for business start-ups.
5. The sector also signed a Ksh. 245 million Tripartite Advisory Agreements (TCG/IFC/UNHCR) to mobilize resources for establishment of a Biashara/Huduma Centre project in Kakuma that will help locals and refugees to access Government services under one roof.
6. During the review period, the sector celebrated the 2 annual calendared events (16 days of gender activism and International Women’s Day).
7. The County Gender Sector Working Group was also established in collaboration with Mercy Corps- Nawiri to provide mechanism for consultation and cooperation between Counties and National governments on issues gender and women empowerment.
8. 150 youths and women were sensitized countywide on Youth and Women Empowerment funding opportunities.
9. KES 66 million were disbursed to 22 youth and women groups.
10. Training of beneficiaries to benefit from agri-business skills for funding of potential youth groups by AgriBIZ.
11. Developed curriculum on GBV supported by ADRA to be used in training GBV champions.
12. Trained fourteen CBO leaders from Kalapata on GBV prevention response, SOPs and referral pathways through support from WVK.
13. Trained twenty GBV champions in Kanamkemer and Township and fourteen in Kerio ward with support from ADRA BRACE.
14. Trained 30 prospects from Turkana West for mechanic training at Toyota through the support PEACE WINDS JAPAN.
15. Turkana County Department of gender and youth affairs Supported 40 Turkana South youth and women groups with generators to enhance their agricultural activities.
16. Disbursed 187,500,000m to 750 women and youth groups.
17. Inducted youth and gender officers on their roles and responsibilities.
18. Capacity built prospective women on resource mobilization, running competitive campaigns, time management, and public engagement among others.
19. Marked days of the African child with other partners.
20. There was increase in cooperative membership, member deposit, share capital, income, loan uptake and turnover. This was due to revival of 12 Key Dormant Cooperative Societies, and promotion of 54 New Co-operative Societies thereby increasing the number of registered Co-operatives from 30 to 84.
21. 123 Cooperative audits were also conducted. The audit fees collected were shared between the County Government (70%) and the National Government (30%).
