February 01, 2020  

By Cheruiyot Korir

Young people have been challenged to develop innovative ideas to help them shape their future lives.

Information, Communication Technology and Youth Affairs (ICTYA) Cabinet Secretary Mr. Joe Mucheru said the government is committed to protect and nurture innovation ideas of young people for their prosperity.

The CS who was speaking in Muranga on Friday during graduation ceremony of 10, 000 youth who trained on various short technical and artisan courses, noted that the Ministry will offer intellectual property cover for the ideas developed by young people.

By coming up with innovation ideas, the CS said, youth will have a chance to create employment opportunities and help in improvement of technological know-how.

He stressed that the government is committed to uplift lives of young people across the country saying various funds have been allocate  to support exploitation and development of innovation ideas.

Mucheru said, in Murang’a, seven constituency innovation hubs have been established and urged youth to fully make use of them.

“The government has many plans which will help young people and what is needed is our youth to come out and use the innovation hubs in developing their ideas,” he added during the occasion held at Mumbi grounds on Friday.

The CS further said through Ajira Programme, the ministry is collaborating with various groups including higher learning institutions to promote online jobs among young people.

Online jobs, he noted, will be actualized after youth get needed trainings to exploit ICT in doing research among other jobs which pay handsomely.

“In the innovation hubs, there are computers and young people can use them to do online jobs, a sector which has employed many people,” said Mucheru.

The ministry, he added, is working with the judiciary to digitize its records, an activity which will involve many other people in inputting the needed data.

“Already 200 computers have been procured to support the judiciary programme on digitizing its records and this work will benefit many young people,” he added.

Speaking during same occasion, Murang’a Governor Mwangi wa Iria said his government has established a Sacco for those who have gone through the programme to help in acquiring tools of work. He said, the County has injected Sh. 200 million in the Sacco to operate as revolving fund for the trained artisans and technicians.