Thousands more young Kenyans are expected to access jobs, business opportunities and skills training through the newly launched NextGen KE Youth Employment Programme, with the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) saying the initiative is built on proven partnerships that have already helped many young people secure employment and start successful businesses.
Speaking during the launch of the programme at State House, Nairobi, on Friday, KEPSA Chief Executive Carole Kariuki said youth unemployment remains one of the country's biggest challenges and called the new programme a practical step towards opening more opportunities for young people.
She said NextGen KE builds on lessons from earlier partnerships between the government, the private sector and development partners that equipped young people with workplace skills, linked them to jobs and supported entrepreneurship.
Kariuki urged businesses, development partners and young people to fully support the programme, saying collaboration would be key to creating lasting employment opportunities and improving livelihoods.
"We are no longer just an advocacy organisation," she said.
She said KEPSA had expanded its role beyond representing business interests to attracting investment, improving the competitiveness of enterprises, empowering women and youth, supporting small and medium-sized businesses and promoting ethical governance.
"We no longer just say what business needs, but it's really rolling our sleeves and getting to the ground."
Kariuki said KEPSA's confidence in the new programme comes from years of implementing employment initiatives that delivered positive results, beginning with the Kenya Youth Empowerment Project.
The pilot project, which was rolled out in Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu with World Bank financing and government support, reached 14,000 young people aged between 15 and 29.
Participants received life skills, business training and workplace internship opportunities, with many going on to secure jobs or establish businesses.
"Roughly, out of that project, because we followed even after, eight out of the 10 participants went into gainful employment or self-employment," she said.
Kariuki highlighted the success of Henry Mwangi, who founded Waste to Energy Limited after completing the programme and later secured a Sh300 million contract to construct a biodigester system for the National Housing Corporation.
She also shared the story of Vincent, a diploma graduate in human resource management who had searched for employment for three years before joining the programme. After being placed for an internship, he was later employed as an assistant human resource manager.
She further spoke of a young woman from Mombasa who used savings from her internship allowance to help expand her mother's tailoring business from one sewing machine to seven. The business later secured Youth Fund financing and won contracts to supply uniforms to government offices.
Kariuki said changes in the labour market later pushed KEPSA to partner with the Ministry of ICT, the Mastercard Foundation and other organisations to roll out the Ajira Digital Programme.
She said the initiative registered more than 600,000 users, trained over 400,000 young people in digital skills and created more than 472,000 direct and indirect digital opportunities across all 47 counties and refugee camps.
"This has contributed to a fourfold growth in the number of young people earning online through digital work countrywide, from about 600 youth in 2019 to 2.4 million Kenyans today," she said.
Looking ahead, Kariuki called on private sector employers and development partners to support NextGen KE, saying KEPSA hopes to reach at least 100,000 young people over the next three years.
She also challenged young Kenyans to take advantage of the opportunities available through the programme.
"This platform is built for you, and with you in mind. Keep showing up. Give your best. Get employed by these companies. Start your own job. You may want to go back to school and get your degree and move on, so that you can get better opportunities."