This archive report was first published on 30 October 2021.
On Friday, Kesses MP Swarup Mishra rolled out a multi-million shilling initiative to empower residents in his constituency. The project, which started in 2017, aims to reduce insecurity and create jobs for the youth in Kesses.
As part of the initiative, Dr Mishra donated over 250 motorcycles to youth as part of the empowerment programme. The motorcycles were handed over to beneficiaries in Tarakwa, where the MP spoke about the project's goals.
“We are giving out 250 motorcycles for free. Under the award scheme, youth will be provided with Sh15,000 as a deposit. The aim is to help them venture into the transport business,” Dr Mishra said.
The award scheme, which targets 2,000 youth, will enable them to own motorcycles for boda boda business. Dr Mishra plans to meet his target of providing jobless youth with 2,000 motorcycles by the end of November.
Additionally, the MP has established a plan to provide 2,500 groups from his constituency with beehives, incubators, salon equipment, cyber cafe equipment, public address systems, event organising equipment, and agricultural inputs. This will translate to the empowerment of 30,000 individuals.
Dr Mishra also announced plans to enroll over 600 elderly persons in the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) by the first week of December. Furthermore, he will secure money for the empowerment programmes from personal resources and the government.
“A large number of students will be sponsored to join polytechnics and 200 others will be enrolled in driving schools in the December event. Seven hundred cows will be given out to residents in a programme that has been going on,” Dr Mishra said.
Former civic leader Paul Kurgat described the initiative as a model empowerment programme. “The youth will grow their boda boda transport business, knowing that they have loans to repay,” Mr Kurgat said.
Dr Mishra's initiative has been praised for its inclusivity, with the MP stating that men have also been incorporated into the empowerment programmes because they have been hit hard by unemployment.
