By Isabella Maua
Youth, women, and people living with disabilities from Mt. Elgon Sub County have been challenged to take advantage of affirmative action funds to leverage poverty eradication in the region.
This was accentuated during an entrepreneurship training and government funding awareness program organized by Kenya Agriculture Reforms Elgon United (KAREU MPYA) on Friday at Kapsokwony.
Speaking to the entrepreneurs and SACCO members drawn from the region, Ronald Wachie, the Youth Enterprise Development Fund manager in Bungoma County, emphasized the need to form enterprise groups and apply for government funds.
“It’s needless to say that many people are living in abject poverty, and that’s what pushed some of you present here today to form existing youth and women groups. It’s vital that we also know how to acquire government funds that are meant to promote these groups,” noted Wachie.
He further added that the county government is willing to work collaboratively with KAREU MPYA to ensure the Mt. Elgon region is transformed since it is a rich area with lots of untapped resources, thanks to the ignorance among its population.
“We’re here today to open a new chapter of financial freedom in this region. The government realized that youth, women, and people living with disabilities are the most vulnerable and hardest hit by poverty, and that’s why the affirmative funds are strategically targeted at them,” he pointed out.
Abdel Kamasai of KAREU MPYA, on the other hand, mentioned that many business groups and SACCOs in the region have either scrambled for lack of unity, political good will, or lack of information from their members.
“Through our research, we have found out that the most valuable thing we could do is empower you with knowledge and the know-how of reaching out to elected leaders besides applying for affirmative action funds,” reiterated Kamasai.
Nancy Bichang’a, a woman living with a disability from Kaborom, expressed her gratitude to KAREU MPYA for enlightening them on better ways to run their business groups and how to access more funds.
“My coming here wasn’t in vain; I’m going to teach my group members how we can utilize our available resources to gain more because I now know what channels to use,” observed Bichang’a.
Kibet Mang’ata from Chebonet Youth CBO at Kongit decried that Mt. Elgon youths have for the longest time been left behind in developmental matters, but the narrative is steadily changing.
“Despite being left behind since time immemorial, KAREU MPYA has come to open our eyes and show us the way; we urge them to come up with more of such trainings in the future,” suggested Mang’ata.
Among the government funds to be applied for are: Youth Enterprise Development Fund, Women Enterprise Fund, National Government Affirmative Action Fund(NGAAF) and UWEZO funds.
KAREU MPYA is a community-based organization whose role is to enhance the role of youth, women, and elders in democratic processes and promote peaceful coexistence among communities living in Bungoma and Trans Nzoia counties.