Hundreds of youth drawn from three informal settlements in Nairobi were last week awarded with certificates following their participation in the Digital Public Works (DPW) Project spearheaded by the Kenya Informal Settlements Improvement Project and the World Bank.
The KISIP and World Bank-led DPW Model provided a platform for youth drawn from Embakasi Sokoni, KCC Village and Kahawa Soweto settlements be engaged by being equipped with skills required in the production of information and data necessary for informal settlement upgrading.
The data collection exercise, which was done between April and September last year, also provided them with short-term employment opportunities and skills transfer through data collection, thereby preparing them for job opportunities.
The project focused on introducing the youth to the digitization of aerial imagery, utilizing terrestrial cameras for image acquisition in informal settlements. Additionally, participants engaged in digital micro-tasking and household surveys, gaining practical experience in the rapidly evolving field of data collection.
A crucial aspect of the initiative was the creation of job opportunities for youth, women, and other vulnerable groups in society. KISIP2, with its emphasis on infrastructural projects and inclusive approaches, aims to alleviate unemployment in the country.
Through interventions like the DPW project, KISIP2 is making significant strides in providing income-generating opportunities and building digital skills for thousands of Kenyan youth residing in informal settlements.
Key stakeholders in the DPW exercise included the Nairobi City County, the State Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Spatial Collective – the firm recruited by the World Bank to oversee the project.
The award ceremony, held between November 16-17, 2023, saw active participation from hundreds of youth from the three settlements.
Notable attendees included representatives from the National Project Coordination Team (NPCT), the County Project Coordination Team (CPCT) from Nairobi County, Settlement Executive Committees (SEC), and the Grievance Redress Committees (GRCs) from the three sprawling settlements.
Ms. Gladys Juma, who led the KISIP2 national team during the award ceremony, expressed the project’s commitment to engaging youth in skills transfer and socio-economic empowerment.
“The goal of this project was to engage youth in skills transfer, produce the information necessary for informal settlement upgrading by engaging and providing short-term employment opportunities to urban youth through data collection. At KISIP 2, we are committed to ensuring our youth are involved in projects that can empower them socio-economically,” she stated.
The DPW project, which recruited and trained youth from the settlements and provided tools for data collection, specifically targeted this demographic due to their vulnerability and limited opportunities, especially in urban centers. Applications for work were open to anyone living in the three settlements aged between 18 and 35.
KISIP 2, a state project funded by the World Bank and the Agence Française de Development (AFD), is a crucial component of the Government of Kenya’s Vision 2030. The project focuses on improving access to basic services and land tenure security in participating urban informal settlements, thereby contributing to the broader national agenda of enabling residents to benefit from basic infrastructure services and land tenure security.
Currently domiciled at the State Department for Housing and Urban Development in the Ministry of Lands, Public Works, Housing, and Urban Development, the project operates through 33 participating county governments in close collaboration with other state agencies and stakeholders.
KBC Digital
