Fifty teen mothers from Nabiswa and Mitoto areas in Trans Nzoia County have graduated from a year-long vocational training programme at Kiminini Vocational Training Centre, an initiative aimed at equipping young women with practical skills to improve their livelihoods.
The programme, run by Child Rescue Kenya (CRK) in partnership with the Trans Nzoia County Department of Education and Vocational Training, focused on courses such as hairdressing, fashion and design, and plumbing. Each graduate received a start-up kit to help them launch small businesses and achieve economic independence.
Speaking during the graduation ceremony, County Executive Committee Member for Education and Vocational Training, Janerose Nasimiyu Mutama, commended CRK for supporting young mothers who had been marginalized by society.
“This initiative is restoring dignity and giving these young women a new meaning in life. With the skills and tools they’ve received, they can now stand on their own feet,” Mutama said.
She added that the County Government, under the leadership of Governor George Natembeya, is working to expand youth empowerment initiatives across all 32 vocational training centres in Trans Nzoia.
“We are allocating funds to provide start-up kits to more trainees countywide, in line with the Governor’s agenda to uplift young people economically,” she noted.
Mutama also announced plans to register the graduates as a youth group so they can access government tenders through the NAWIRI Fund, enabling them to raise capital collectively or individually.
ALSO READ:
Ghosts of TPAD, acting headship position haunt teachers in ongoing TSC interviews
CRK Programme Director, Stephine Baraza, said the organization identifies vulnerable teen mothers in rural areas and links them to vocational institutions where they receive training, certification, and business support.
“This is a lifetime opportunity to change their lives. Over the past four years, we’ve partnered with Machungwa, Matisi, and Kitale Vocational Training Centres, reaching more than 5,000 youth,” Baraza said.
County Director of Vocational Training, Eliud Lusweti, described the initiative as a powerful tool for economic transformation.
“Many of these young mothers would not have had a chance to continue learning. Now, they have marketable skills to sustain their families and contribute to the local economy,” Lusweti said.
The beneficiaries were also given start up kits to get them started in the outside world. They expressed gratitude for the programme, describing it as life-changing.
“CRK has given me dignity again. I was rejected, but now I have tools and skills to change my life and my child’s,” said Magret Mabonga, one of the graduates.
Rebecca Njoki, from Kiminini, shared a similar story.
“After I got pregnant, my family chased me away. But through CRK, I’ve been trained, accepted back, and now I’m ready to start my own business,” she said.
Another graduate, Dorothy Cherop Masaba, said she had already begun earning from her newly acquired skills.“The start-up kit will help me expand my work and secure a better future,” she said.
The event concluded with a call for more public and private sector partners to support vocational training as a means of empowering vulnerable youth and reducing poverty in Trans Nzoia County.
By Godfrey Wamalwa
You can also follow our social media pages on Twitter: Education News KE and Facebook: Education News Newspaper for timely updates.
>>> Click here to stay up-to-date with trending regional stories
>>> Click here to read more informed opinions on the country’s education landscape
