Co-operatives and MSMEs CS Wycliffe Oparanya during a Teso North Youths Empowerment Conference at Chemasiri Technical and Vocational training Centre in Busia county on Friday /HILTON OTENYO


Youth from Teso North constituency have identified key areas of comparative advantage they intend to pursue as a three-day Teso Youth Empowerment Conference comes to an end.

Teso North MP Oku Kaunya who organised the event said the outstanding outcomes across all participating agencies, reflected a strong, results-oriented, inter-agency partnership approach to youth empowerment.

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During the conference, 1,035 youths registered for Recognition of Prior Learning, 1,000 youths registered for Chinese and German language training and another 882 youths expressed interest in overseas employment opportunities.

Kaunya said the large numbers demonstrates the youth’s appetite for skills development and global opportunities.

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The confidenceheld at Chemasiri Technical and Vocational Training Centre was officiated by Co-operatives and MSMEs Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya on Friday.

Kaunya revealed that Chamasiri TVC has signed a memorandum of understanding with Signet Institute (Australia), positioning the institution as a regional centre for training under the Australian curriculum.

“This marks a significant step in aligning our local workforce with global labour market demands, and it will yield enormous benefits for our youth,” the legislator said.

The conference also yielded immediate employment for 50 youths in Nairobi starting this month and two nursing professionals recruited for employment in Austria.

Oparanya reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring every young Kenyan is equipped with relevant skills to become economically productive, innovative and self-reliant.

He said his ministry has rolled out a robust programme to youths in developing Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and strengthening the cooperative movement across Busia county.

“I am pleased to engage with young people from Teso North constituency. The forum provided a valuable platform to share information on various government initiatives aimed at driving holistic youth empowerment,” he said.

Kaunya called for enhanced support for MSMEs, particularly in industrialisation and manufacturing, with a focus on the commercial production of coffee and cotton as raw materials for the coffee and textile value chains—priority sectors under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda.

He urged youth to prepare themselves to seize emerging opportunities in the upcoming Nasewa Special Economic Zone, proposed extension of the Standard Gauge Railway to Malaba and the planned construction of a dry port in Busia.

“Together, we are laying the foundation for a future where our young people are not jobseekers, but job creators and drivers of sustainable economic growth,” Kaunya said.

MSME DevelopmentPrincipal SecretarySusan Mang’eni andPhilemon Kiprono,director for Research and Policy Analysis at the Public Service Commission, also attended the conference.