By Osinde Obare
The Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) has secured a Sh14 billion grant from German business community towards a 10-year entrepreneurship programme for the youth.
The funds were lobbied for by the chamber to support youth explore meaningful skills and tap potential avenues for economic empowerment.
The KNCCI’s national interim chairman Laban Onditi said the grant would be used to empower the youth in research and technology.
He noted that most of the youth are qualified but lack employment.
“Our agenda is to establish investment opportunities for the youth in each county and locus on manufacture of indigenous products to deter young people from engaging in crime and political unrest,” said Onditi.
Technological training
Onditi said part of the funds would be disbursed to Higher Education Ministry to help elevate polytechnics in each county to an advanced level to foster technological training.
He said the institutions would train the youth on modern technological skills to enable them remain competitive in the dynamic market.
Onditi disclosed that the chamber was in the process of establishing an East Africa market chain for the youth to trade their products.
At the same time, the chamber has set up an arbitration body to handle all grassroots election disputes that marred its national elections.
“The arbitration body will iron out all electoral disputes before court to ensure the calendar of the body is not halted. We have clearly spelt out disciplinary measures for electoral offences as per our constitution,” he said.
He said the KNCCI has written to Attorney General Githu Muigai petitioning the withdrawal of all the cases before court to pave way for the national elections.
Onditi announced that the chamber elections were scheduled for this week but had to be put off as the nation mourns the death of Internal Security minister Prof George Saitoti and his assistant Orwa Ojode, who died on Sunday in a plane crash.
He was addressing a governance forum for elected chamber officials drawn from seven counties in North Rift and Western Kenya.
The chairman of the Bungoma KNCCI Reverend Hamman Kasili revealed that operations at Pan Paper plant in Webuye was set to resume after the Government settled Sh800 million debts owed to small lenders.
The Government in January cleared Sh73 million owed to Kenya Power.
