Youth fund targets young people in business start-up loans plan

The Youth Enterprise Development Fund will launch a start-up loan programme on July 1.

Fund chairman Ronnie Osumba said the start-up market was yet to be explored.

He said the number of youth who have applied for the funds since its inception was impressive.

Mr Osumba (right) said the fund would be devolved to the counties from July.

YOUTH PEACE

“The fund will allocate Sh250 million to each county which can be accessed at our regional offices across the country,” Mr Osumba said on Monday during the launch of a countrywide youth peace forum at the Agricultural showgrounds in Nakuru town.

More than 1,000 youth from Nakuru County, officials from the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) and the National Campaign Against Drug Abuse (Nacada) participated in the forum dubbed Sauti 47.

Nacada chairman Julius Githiri said the organisation had partnered with the Ministry of Education to reach high school students who are most susceptible to drug abuse.

ABUSING HARD DRUGS

“Although young people are now abusing hard drugs, they have shown the will to change. Collaborating with the education stakeholders will help us reach this group of people,” Mr Githiri added.

NCIC commissioner Morris Zoro said the youth were responsible for most cases of political violence, with a number under the influence of drugs.

Mr Zoro said the commission had deployed cohesion monitors across the country to monitor political rallies. “The commission is not intimidated by politicians or elections,” he said.

He said NCIC had partnered with police and that it was confident of a peaceful elections on August 8.

-Additional reporting by Hilda Anyango