Youth unemployment remains one of East Africa’s biggest challenges. Almost 70% of the population is below 30 years old, and thousands of young people enter the employment market every year, yet opportunities remain scarce.
The majority are stuck in informal work or underemployment, limiting their growth and prospect.
The KCB Foundation has stepped in to turn that around. Through various programmes in various countries, it is empowering young people with skills, loans, and seed capital to start sustainable businesses.
In Kenya, the 2Jiajiri programme has empowered more than 35,000 youth, created more than 150,000 jobs, lent money, and distributed more than 2,000 start-up toolkits. It has unlocked opportunities in agribusiness, construction, beauty, and mechanics.
In Uganda, the Twekozese initiative is training youth in vocational skills as well as management of money. In Rwanda, the Igire initiative is funding business concepts that address community issues. In Tanzania, youth are being trained and provided with toolkits to start livelihoods amidst difficult economic conditions.
So far, the Foundation asserts its activities have touched more than 4.3 million youth across the region.
In Burundi, where approximately 65% of the population is under the age of 25, the Iteze Imbere programme is proving to be effective. While the country’s official unemployment rate is given as 1%, the vast majority of young people scrape by on low earnings from informal work.
For Ngarukiye Aime Fortuny, the programme was a lifeline. Having studied architecture, he couldn’t find a stable job and had always been drawn to welding. Thanks to Iteze Imbere, he was finally able to learn.
“Before the programme, I had studied architecture, but I was not earning a sufficient job. I used to enjoy welding but never had an opportunity. Through Iteze Imbere, I was trained and after six months we were given financial support and toolkits to work independently. Now, I’m qualified and confident to do welding projects,” he exclaimed.
Aime now owns Tupos Group, which is a welding and building firm that manufactures products such as trash cans, gates, and public structures. Being their medium of marketing their work through social media, the group has managed to increase its clientele.
“I want to encourage other youths, especially the unemployed ones, to grab this opportunity. We can feed our families and have better communities with skills,” he added.
KCB Foundation Director Mendi Njonjo weighed in the target is to empower young people in East Africa with skills and resources they would need to succeed.
“Every success story reminds us that by investing in youth, we invest in families, communities, and the future of our region. We are committed to reaching more young people and creating lasting change,” she said.
Through Iteze Imbere, Twekozese, Igire, and 2Jiajiri, the Foundation is proving that empowerment of the youth is not just about employment. It is about building futures, translating passion into a vocation, and empowering young East Africans to lead their communities into a brighter future.
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