By M, KNA
Residents of Vihiga County have been challenged to focus on emerging opportunities to improve their wellbeing and overcome the socio-economic hurdles facing the society.
Speaking at Mukuli Salvation Army church after a training, the CEO of 20x Entrepreneurs, a Kenyan-based sales, consultancy, recruitment, training and coaching company, Eunice Mburu said their aim was to shift the mindset of residents from retrogressive political fatigue so that they can focus on productivity.
Mburu said small and medium enterprises (SMEs) were the biggest producers in Kenya contributing to the growth of the country’s GDP urging residents to embrace the Bottom-up Economic Transformation agenda (BETA) to resolve the youth unemployment crisis.
“Do not just sit there complaining about youth unemployment you can take advantage of this challenge by looking for the opportunities that could be exploited from the BETA pillars,” she said.
She urged residents and especially the youth, women and persons living with disabilities to take advantage of the affordable housing project by seeking openings at the site while others could trade in foodstuffs and related supplies to the workforce.
The consultant encouraged residents to register with Social Health Authority (SHA) saying that this will give them access to universal health care instead of just sitting and complaining about the government.
Mburu asked the participants to take advantage of the hustler fund which they can borrow money to start and even expand their businesses and repay the loan on time so that their limits can be increased.
She added that the main mandate of 20x Entrepreneurs is to train business people to ensure they multiply their income or profit 20 times over the years and connecting those seeking employment to potential employers and even connecting them with agents that can take them abroad to seek employment opportunities.
Mburu regretted that some residents are not taking advantage of hustler fund despising the money that it is too little while others are not repaying the loan.
Mercy Yuga a hairdresser based in Mbale commended the government for coming up with the hustler fund saying it has helped her expand her business with her limit increasing from Sh500 to Sh5,000.
Kevin Wagoli, a second-hand clothes vendor at Mbale town said he is going to embrace and put in practice what they have been trained and called on fellow youths to embrace government programmes and projects.