Hope for graduates from Kilifi County as local government offers them employment opportunities and business start-ups

University graduates and those from tertiary institutions who hail from Kilifi County have a reason to smile after the Governor Gideon Mung’aro led administrations offered to secure employment and job opportunities for them.

The area Deputy Governor Flora Chibule said that some of the graduates will be employed to replace retiring employees while others will be trained on economic generating activities so that they can start their own businesses and create job opportunities once they leave school.

Mrs Chibule said this at Pwani University in Kilifi town where she was the chief guest during the inauguration of the Kilifi County Comrades Association (KCCA) that brings together more than 1,000 students from various universities in Kenya who hail from Kilifi County.

“Unemployment is a problem but as the County government of Kilifi we will be taking 2,000 interns starting January and we know every year we have retirees and hence their positions will be taken by the interns after their retirement,” said Mrs Chibule as she also urged non-governmental organizations to also open up their doors for graduates.

With a fully operational structure consisting of the President, Deputy President and Cabinet Secretaries, the KCCA will also be expected to put the Mung’aro administration to task by providing checks and balances to ensure proper service delivery.

“The inaugurated team that stretches all the way to the ward level will also keep us on check to ensure that we deliver on our assignment as a County government,” she said.

The President of KCCA Kahindi James and his cabinet who took oath of office during the inauguration ceremony said hat they will help comrades in securing funds to ensure that fees are paid on time.

“The main agenda for KCCA is to unite and speak in one voice and we have gone through a lot and we are honored by the support from the Kilifi County government. Our main challenges are financial constrains since most of us come from poor families but with KCCA we shall be able to mobilize resources to boost our education,” he said.

The patron of KCCA Opollo Kopollo said that the journey to start the association was necessitated by the suffering comrades in the area were facing ranging from difficulties in raising school fees and unemployment after school.

“Most students in these colleges and universities face a lot of financial constrains and to some extent they take long to complete their studies since they are most of the time out of school due to lack of school fees and some of them even lack food for upkeep in their respective collages,” he said.

Kopollo who is also the Secretary of the Kenya Post Primary Teachers (KUPPET) in Kilifi County added that as the patron of KCAA, he was out to provide opportunities for the students.

“My work is to ensure that we check on our comrades wherever they are so that we can link them with opportunities wherever they area. We are partnering with organizations that will help them complete their studies in the stipulated period,” he said.