Women, youth and persons with disability in Bungoma County have been challenged to apply for the Uwezo, youth and women empowerment funds to promote businesses and enterprises at the local level in a bid to enhance economic growth and help fight high levels of poverty.
Briefing the press after chairing a County stakeholder’s forum, Bungoma County Commissioner Samuel Kimiti expressed concern at the low uptake of the said government empowerment funds and asked residents in specified categories to apply for the funds to support them start income generating activities and those with running businesses to expand.
“The rate at which Uwezo, the youth development enterprise fund and the women fund are being applied for in this county is wanting, I appeal to residents to turn up in huge numbers and apply for these monies that will help in starting up business ventures and expanding existing ones especially during this pandemic period,” he said.
The stakeholders’ forum brings together National and County government departments and representatives from various organizations operating in Bungoma, to discuss the challenges facing the development of the county and chart a way forward.
Kimiti urged politicians to preach peace as the nation prepares for the 2022 general elections. He urged parents to guide and counsel their children and closely monitor them while at home as one way of reducing teen pregnancies and gender based violence in the county.
“All stakeholders should work together to ensure that our girls are safe, I want to ask all organizations to play a major role in a bid to end teen pregnancies and gender based violence,” Kimiti said.
By Roseland Lumwamu
