report titled, ‘Employment, Incomes, and Equality,’ in which it coined the phrase ‘informal sector.’
The report considered the informal sector as instrumental in creating employment and income generation. For a long time, the Kenyan government has been putting in place several policy interventions aimed at addressing the issue of education, informality, and small and medium enterprises.
Two notable interventions are the Sessional Paper No.2 of 2009 on Small Enterprise and Jua Kali Development in Kenya, and Sessional Paper No. 2 of 2005 on Development of Micro and Small Enterprises for Wealth and Employment Creation for Poverty Reduction, which puts
emphasis on the micro and small enterprise (MSE) sector.
The sessional papers concentrated on creating an enabling environment for these businesses, providing credit, and developing non-financial promotional programs.
However, for the successful actualization of the informal sector, there was the need for urgent enhancement of interventions which promote access to quality and skills oriented post basic education, particularly through youth polytechnics in order to improve labor market outcomes.
This is because educational attainment appears to have a strong influence on an individual’s labour market activity.
Compared to employed individuals, the openly unemployed and inactive youths have a higher proportion of individuals who ‘never went to school.’
Despite the country’s free primary and affordable secondary education that greatly subsidizes basic education, it is estimated that about 14 percent of the approximately 10.6 million children, aged between 5 and 14 years left school or never attended school in 2012, and about 68 percent of secondary school-age youth, 14–17 years, were not in
school.
These children are likely to become youths with little employable labor market skills over the next decade. Youth polytechnics were initiated by the National Council of Churches of Kenya in 1968.
The objective was to find solutions to youth unemployment in Kenya. The NCCK believed that youth polytechnics would adopt a diversified curriculum that would, in the end, alter the negative attitude of young people towards manual work and rural livelihood.
They aimed for a curriculum that would generate interest in vocational studies, match the skills in the market with knowledge acquired in classrooms, and reduce youth migration to urban and Integrate schools with communities.
In 1971, the government started supporting youth polytechnics built by local communities and churches involved in training high school graduates in various vocational subjects such as welding, Accounts, mechanics, catering, carpentry, and teaching.
Their growth, however, became more and more intermittent and they eventually died sometimes in the late 80s.
However, the national government has over the years put in place certain motions aimed at revitalizing, strengthening and streamlining operations of the youth polytechnics and significantly through the Sessional Paper No.1 of 2005, A Policy Framework for Education,
Training and Research.
Besides the government efforts to strengthen these polytechnics, churches, individual and private organizations continue to play a significant role in imparting hands on skills to a category of youth, estimated at 40 percent, which census related data indicate either
never attended school or did not complete primary education.
Lugari Development and Training Institute (LUDETI), a project of Christian Restoration Fellowship, is an example for such initiatives. LUDETI, which is located at Mlimani trading center, Mautuma ward in Lugari Sub County, has managed to impart livelihood skills to approximately 600 youths, with a bigger percentage comprising of school dropouts since it was established in 1998.
According to the institute’s Director, Mr. Paul Davasi Wesonga, the polytechnic’s operates under a framework known as Under Educated Concern (UNEDCO).
“UNEDCO is a programme that focuses on imparting basic skills on school dropouts who are unable to access gainful employment for lack of these skills,” explained Wesonga, adding some of the youths who have passed through his hands were removed from streets of neighboring towns like Eldoret, Kitale, and Webuye.
The polytechnic mainly focuses on tailoring, fashion and design, and record keeping, “but we are headed toward expansion of our programmes and soon we will roll out courses in masonry, welding, carpentry, and mechanics,” adds Wesonga.
“Over 600 youths have successfully undergone a two-year training in garment making since we started this polytechnic in 1998,” discloses the director who is also a pastor with the sponsoring church.
After meeting all the set requirements, graduates of the institution are awarded with Government Trade Test certificates. According to Wesonga, graduates get absorbed into the informal sector, with a majority of them preferring to start their own garment shops.
“I spent two years at LUDETI taking theory and practical classes in garment making. We used to do practicals for three hours in per day,” says Ms. Rosebella Ayub, a graduate of the institute.
Rosebella has opened a tailoring shop at Mlimani market in Mautuma where she specializes in making school uniforms, men trousers and general dresses for women.
“If it wasn’t LUDETI, I would either be a street kid or married by now. I am very proud of Mr. Wesonga,” adds Rosebella who on average saves close to Sh.10,000 in profits per month from her business.
“When I joined LUDETI, I was focusing on finishing my tailoring course and moving to Nairobi, but after four years of hustling in the big city, I decided to return home where I opened up my tailoring shop using Sh. 4000 as start-up capital,” Mr. John Ndumi, a self-employed tailor at Mautuma market.
Ndumi, now earns close to Sh. 8,000 in profits from his business and has decided to permanently focus on tailoring instead of migrating. “I am comfortable putting food on the table for my family,” said the 35 year tailor. Besides relative support from surrounding communities, Wesonga says the institute has been partnering with several local government agencies, including Lugari Sub County youth and social services departments.
“The youth and social services departments have regularly used my institution as a rehabilitation center for problematic youths who often times have been considered to be social misfits,” revealed Wesonga.
Wesonga hails the national government’s ongoing plans of ensuring all sub counties have at least one Technical Training Institute (TTI).
“This will promote access to quality post basic education for the growing population of ‘inactive’ youth and thereafter enhance sustainable informal sector that currently employs about 81 percent workers” he points out.
“But we appeal to county governments to allocate enough resources towards the revitalization of village and youth polytechnics,” says Wesonga who also encourages Christians and well-wishers to continue supporting church-based polytechnics.