In a major boost for youth empowerment and enterprise development, KCB Foundation has signed a strategic partnership with Nyamira County Government to roll out a joint youth skilling and MSME support programme worth KSh 100 million. The initiative will see the two entities contribute KSh 30 million each towards the implementation of the KCB Foundation’s flagship 2Jiajiri vocational training programme, with a further KSh 40 million going into an SME fund to facilitate access to credit and business support services.
The 2Jiajiri programme, which has been running since 2016, aims to equip young people with practical technical skills and link them to employment or help them launch their own enterprises. Through the Nyamira partnership, youth in the county will receive hands-on training in areas such as automotive engineering, electrical installation, construction, beauty and personal care, domestic services, and agribusiness. Upon completion, they will be certified through the National Industrial Training Authority (NITA) and receive support to either find jobs, internships, or start their own businesses.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, KCB Foundation Director Mendi Njonjo noted that the partnership reflects a shared commitment to addressing unemployment and unlocking economic opportunities at the grassroots level.
“The operationalisation of the County SME fund is a testament to our commitment to catalyse economic growth and tackle youth unemployment. With Nyamira County on board, we look forward to nurturing the creation of small and medium enterprises run by youth, leveraging technical vocational skills and supporting them through single-digit loans to start their own enterprises,” said Njonjo.
In addition to youth skilling, the partnership will support Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the region by providing affordable credit, financial literacy training, and market linkages. This is expected to strengthen local entrepreneurship and increase liquidity within the county’s economy.
Nyamira Governor Amos Nyaribo lauded the initiative, emphasizing the critical role of access to finance in business growth.
“Credit is the lifeline that SMEs need to survive. As such, we have set aside the MSME credit fund because we want to catalyse a healthy local economy that can create jobs and drive liquidity in Nyamira County. I urge all MSMEs to take advantage of this facility to grow their businesses,” said Governor Nyaribo.
He further added, “We have also invested in the 2Jiajiri programme because the youth make up the majority of the working-age population in Nyamira. By equipping our young people with practical technical skills, we can support the creation of meaningful and sustainable employment.”
Since its inception, the 2Jiajiri programme has trained over 35,000 youth across Kenya and facilitated the creation of more than 150,000 jobs. The Foundation has issued over 2,200 startup toolkits, disbursed KSh 267 million in loans to youth-led businesses, and provided mentorship and financial literacy training to thousands more.
With Nyamira now part of the growing list of counties benefiting from the initiative, the move signals a renewed push towards grassroots economic transformation powered by youth and small businesses.