A total of 800 youth from Elgeyo Marakwet County have gained valuable skills to venture into various income generating activities under KCB Foundation's 2jiajiri programme.

The skilling saw the individuals gain market-relevant technical skills from 10 vocational training centers (VTCs) across the county under a year-long partnership between KCB Foundation and Mastercard Foundation’s Young Africa Work’s programme. 

KCB's 2jiajiri scheme is designed to equip youth with the technical and entrepreneurial skills needed to start and grow their business. By focusing on enterprise development across key economic sectors, the programme aims to unlock sustainable income opportunities and catalyze the creations of thousands of jobs across the country.

During their graduation, 120 graduands received business start-up toolkits to kick off their entrepreneurial journey following their nine-month training that combines hands-on technical training skills, business acumen and enterprise development; thus, equipping youth as they start their entrepreneurial journey.

Speaking at the event, KCB Foundation Director Mendi Njonjo said “Our goal is to leverage technical and vocational skills as a direct pathway to youth self-employment. We are intentional about nurturing entrepreneurship, particularly at the grassroots level where the need is most urgent.”

To date, the 2Jiajiri Programme has trained over 35,000 youth, supported the creation of over 150,000 jobs, disbursed millions in youth enterprise loans and distributed over 2,000 business start-up toolkits.

Through initiatives such as 2Jiajiri, KCB Foundation continues to champion economic inclusion by equipping youth with the tools, skills and confidence needed to thrive as job creators and changemakers in their communities.

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