A tech initiative in Kisumu is attracting attention for what appears to be a growing mismatch between its advertised training-to-employment model and the lived experience of those enrolled in the programme.
The initiative, known as Zone01 Kisumu, presents itself as a five-year opportunity structured around an 18-month apprenticeship, a one-year internship, and three years of full employment, beginning with its first cohort in April 2024.
While the program was initially embraced with optimism by young participants seeking career paths in software engineering, reports now suggest that the organization has been altering key contractual elements without open disclosure, going so far as to modify previously issued documents quietly, causing confusion about the terms under which participants are expected to work.
Participants have discovered that the original framework may be giving way to a more restrictive system, with new contracts proposing a flat monthly compensation of Ksh 15,000 after deductions across all stages of the five-year period.
At the same time, Zone01 Kisumu continues to promote its model across digital platforms, regularly announcing the employment of over 100 youth, while those inside the program claim no such jobs have materialized.
Some trainees have reportedly been assigned client work, including international projects, under internship classifications, yet remain on the initial stipend initially promised only for the apprenticeship phase.
As another group prepares to join the program, the gap between promise and reality appears to be widening, with those inside warning that the model may be less about long-term skill-building and more about extracting extended low-cost labor under the branding of innovation.
“Hello Cyprian. Please have my identity as anonymous. There is a company which is more of a software engineering bootcamp in Kisumu called Zone01 Kisumu. They claim to train talent and employ them all for a period of 5 years (18 months of training as an apprentice, 12 months of internship and 36 months of employment). The first cohort started April 2024 and as stated on the contract, the compensations were to be as follows: Apprenticeship: 15,000 (minus deductions) Internship: Please allow me not to disclose this as obliged in the signed contract. But it’s a decent amount judging from local rates. Job: Please allow me not to disclose this as obliged in the signed contract. It’s also a decent amount judging from local rates. Issues have started since the organization has been making changes to the agreement without any valid and concrete reason. They have even been secretly editing some attached documents shared when the program started without informing us but some few people have already noticed that. There are reports from the finance administrator of a completely different and exploitative contract that they want to have people sign which among the clauses wants people to earn Ksh 15,000 (minus deductions) for the rest of their 5-year stay. They are always active on social media stating how they’ve already employed 100 youths but none of that is actually true. Some people have been working for international companies but the compensation still remains at 15,000 (minus deductions) even though these are internships as stated in the job descriptions during applications and they are on video claiming how they are making money from these projects. I am sharing this because their business model seems to be exploiting youths for their benefit and it’s scary since another cohort is almost commencing. If you also find a problem in this, reach out for more details or any clarifications you may need before sharing this with the greater public. Conducting your due diligence and sharing this with your audience plus reach will really help.”
