Discussion Paper No.211 of 2018 on Review of Government-Sponsored Youth Empowerment Programmes in Kenya

Abstract

As the world embraces inclusive growth agenda where everyone’s contribution to economic growth and development is emphasized, the contribution of the youth cannot be ignored. However, over the years, the Kenyan youth has been disadvantaged due to low demand for labour amidst a bulging supply of labour. This necessitated the government to shift its focus on youth by tailoring programmes that support the youth in enhancing entrepreneurship, improving employability and molding their life skills. The entrepreneurship programmes, including the Youth Enterprise Development Fund, Women Enterprise Fund and Uwezo Fund, disbursed a total of about Ksh 28.9 billion to almost 3 million beneficiaries by end of December 2017. While the agencies have well established outreach at county level, there is disparity on the amounts disbursed across the counties which generally reflects the type and levels of economic activity and the population size. Youth employability programmes managed to get 1,439 youth into public service internships and a further 13,305 through the Kenya Youth Empowerment programme (KYEP). KYEP has now mutated into the Kenya Youth Empowerment and Opportunities Programme which is in its first cycle of implementation.