The government’s renewed focus on youth skilling is taking root at the grassroots across the country.
Kamukunji Constituency is emerging as a model for how technical training can address unemployment, poverty and insecurity.
Through the Kamukunji Youth Empowerment Programme, hundreds of young people—including those from vulnerable backgrounds such as street families—are being equipped with practical skills to secure livelihoods and build safer communities.
The first phase of the programme was officially launched by Kamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan at the Kamukunji Technical and Vocational College (KTVC) in Airbase Ward.
The initiative targets 1,694 young people aged 35 and below from all five wards—Pumwani, Eastleigh North, Eastleigh South, Airbase and California—with hands-on training in market-relevant trades.
“Our greatest resource is our youth. This programme is not charity; it is a strategic investment in human capital. By providing technical know-how, we are fueling their success and sparking real growth in our local economy,” Hassan said during the launch attended by NGAO officers, community leaders, educators and applicants.
He further said, the skilling drive stands as a practical response to youth unemployment—one that links skills, jobs and dignity while strengthening community security and economic growth.
The NITA-accredited programme offers intensive three- to six-month courses in high-demand skills including hairdressing, plumbing, welding and fabrication, driving, photography and videography.
Upon completion, participants will receive nationally recognised certification from the National Industrial Training Authority, significantly improving their chances of employment or self-employment.
Hassan said the programme was designed to give youth a clear advantage in life.
“These skills will allow our young people to start their own businesses, secure decent jobs that lift them out of poverty, ignite lasting confidence and shape them into engaged citizens who contribute proudly to their communities,” he said.
The scale of the initiative is unprecedented at constituency level. With 1,694 beneficiaries, it is one of the largest vocational training programmes ever rolled out in Kamukunji.
Driving courses attracted the highest number of applicants, reflecting strong demand in the transport and logistics sector.
Hassan pointed to tangible results from previous skilling efforts, noting that dozens of Kamukunji youth have already secured jobs abroad, particularly in Qatar, as drivers, plumbers and welders.
“These are real stories of transformation. Today’s training is tomorrow’s employment and entrepreneurship,” he said.
The programme is also linked to broader pathways for youth employment. Those with academic certificates are being supported to access office jobs in the formal sector, while skilled artisans are being connected to opportunities in construction and the informal economy.
Youth with IT skills are being linked to online jobs, and those willing to work abroad are supported through labour agreements to protect them from exploitation.
He noted that the fund targets those youths who had dropped from school or not attended ant formal learning.
“Not everyone has a degree or diploma, and not all will go overseas or work online. But with skills training, business support and confidence, even those who dropped out of school will go places,” he said.
As part of the empowerment model, 70 youth from each ward are being supported to start businesses, each receiving a Sh50,000 grant.
The first phase, supported by the World Bank, covers about 820 youth, with plans to scale up to 1.6 million beneficiaries in future phases.
