Ujuzi Manyattani- Youth Empowerment Programme Celebrates its Second Graduation

The Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT) through its enterprise arm, Northern Rangelands Trust-Trading (NRT-Trading), The Embassy of Sweden, The Embassy of Denmark through Danida, The Embassy of Sweden and The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) hosted the second Ujuzi Manyattani graduation where 150 youth celebrated achieving key economic empowerment skills. The youth are from various community conservancies who face challenges in north Kenya’s pastoral landscape.

Ujuzi Manyattani is a Mobile Vocational Training model that supports youth (morans and young women), one of the key groups who provide labor(herding), and homestead security, but do not own any economic skill, and have low literacy level. Ujuzi Manyattani seeks to equip them with alternative opportunities to diversify their livelihoods, mitigate on continued poverty and conflict cycles.

The skills offered include masonry, carpentry, motorcycle mechanics, mobile phone mechanics, welding, plumbing, electrical engineering, tour guiding and solar installations and maintenance which are some of the key skills needed with the growing infrastructure investments in northern Kenya. The northern Kenya landscape is aligned to Vision 2030 and trained youth stand to benefit by increasing their economic opportunities.

Urbanization of the north is evident given that there is an international airport in Isiolo, a tarmacked road to Ethiopia, a proposed railway line and resort cities presenting options for youth to earn their livelihood, which is what the Ujuzi Manyattani programme is doing by equipping them with relevant skills. Further to these, the vocational model goes a long way in contributing to the Kenyan Government’s ‘Big Four’ agenda that strives to promote job creation for youth as well as deepen industrialization.

“Vocational training is an intervention to unemployment and poverty that compels young people (Morans) into crimes such as cattle rustling and road banditry. I am certain that it’s only through education and skills empowerment to the youth (Morans) that shall bring a reduction or an end to the perennial insecurity experienced in Nomadic communities. Once the youth are engaged in social economic activities, peace and tranquility will prevail among Nomadic communities,” said Principal Secretary State Department for Technical and Vocational Training Dr. Margaret Mwakima.

By placing trainers in communities, Ujuzi Manyattani provides access to learning for people from disadvantaged socio- economic backgrounds, and those who have not been able to access formal education. It enables pastoralists to acquire practical vocational skills where other training facilities are absent, without disrupting their way of life. The training model is implemented in partnership with polytechnics. The polytechnics deploy trainers allowing them and their tools, to be mobile across villages and counties, to provide vocational training priorities to diverse community trainees. Trainers are supervised by the heads of department of the relevant courses based on the course curricula and schemes of work.

“We are glad to not only empower communities in northern Kenya to protect their wild spaces through the community conservation model, but we are as well enabling them to have various alternatives to grasp all economic empowerment opportunities,” says Tom Lalampaa-NRT’s CEO.

NRT and NRT-T support the graduating trainees on the onset through sensitization meetings through community conservancy boards who then spearhead selection and recruitment. Further to these, students are mentored during course selection process and later with startup tool kits. Additional mentorship and links to opportunities to practice their skills and by lobbying relevant stakeholders such as County and National Governments is also conducted.

Since 2019, 209 youths graduated after an enrollment of 2014 representing a 97% completion rate. 5,000 youth are targeted to graduate by 2025 with 350 mobile trainers expected to be enrolled. The programme has already to diversified its curriculum by adding 7 more courses from the initial 5 to have 12 in total which will include hairdressing, catering and tailoring to satisfy a growing demand from young women.