Major USAID project for youth in Western Kenya

Massturn Community Based Organization has been granted the opportunity to convene the USAID sponsored youth project in Kakamega and two other Counties. The organization is to coordinate the project in Kakamega, Vihiga and Bungoma Counties. Masturn is an organization based in Khayega Location, Shinyalu Constituency in Kakamega County whose main objective is to empower the youth.

USAID through Winrock International is coming up with a project said to have been initiated by the U.S President Barrack Obama in a bid to help the Kenyan youth who are marginalized. Speaking in a youth forum organized by Massturn CBO, in a Khayega hotel, the project Director Mrs. Martha Momanyi urged the young people to register in large numbers so as to benefit from the project. She said every youth including the disabled should be registered but also warned that this was not a political move and so it should not be discriminative or forceful and should not be mistaken with the National Youth Council. She said the two are different entities.


Mrs. Momanyi explained in details that The SASA – “Yes youth can” project is to empower Kenyan youth to exhibit leadership in peace –building, social and economic development for holistic community development.She also added that the program targets the marginalized youth who are unemployed, underemployed, and/or school dropouts, with a special focus on young women. The project which is christened SASA (Strengthening Advocacy Skills Advancement) with a slogan “Yes Youth Can” is set to kick off immediately with a mobilization process that will cover the three counties and thereafter develop a cadre of youth leaders working through a sustainable youth action committees to continue to champion peace, economic and social progress in their communities long after SASA ends.

The project is also aimed at intergrading youth into the economic development systems in their communities by advancing the skills of youth as employees and entrepreneurs. The project Director, also confirmed that the assistance for SASA project is emanating from USAID made possible by the generous support of the American people to help give youth in the Western Province of Kenya the skills and confidence required to enter and succeed in the workforce and positively influence their communities. Hence the project implementation framework will be embedded within the structures of the on-going government development programs that include Kenya Agricultural Productivity and Agribusiness program among others.

Appealing to private partners to emerge during the implementation process, Mrs. Momanyi revealed that a consortium of five partners who include Winrock International, Kenya professional Women in Agriculture, Environment (KEPAWAE), K-Rep Development Agency (KDA), Mobile Movement and SSG have come out to contribute to this noble goal and will provide the required support in project implementation. On his part the Director of Massturn CBO Mr. Samuel Muhati expressed heartfelt gratitude to USAID and Winrock International for having confidence in Masturn to bestow it with the gargantuan responsibility of coordinating the project in Western Kenya. He added that him and his team are prepared to work tirelessly towards producing the required results and will not at any point relent in doing what is expected of them towards attaining the goal and intentions of the donors.