Ajira
Women have been urged to take up online jobs due its flexible work programme nature, since they could be done anywhere as long there is internet connection. Ajira Programme South Rift Regional Coordinator Nelson Mitei revealed that the percentage of women working online was small compared to men.
Mitei called on women to take up Information, Communication Technology skills in order to cut their niche in online jobs which have for long been dominated by men. According to the Coordinator, the Kenyan society should encourage women, especially the youth, to use their time on productive online activities.
“Through our monitoring and evaluation, we realized that there is a very small section of women who are working online yet the online jobs are more flexible than traditional work routine,” Mitei told Nandi National Government Heads of Department meeting at the County Commissioners Boardroom on Thursday.
He said Ajira online work programme is pushing towards attaining seventy percent of women to embrace online employment as a step towards alleviating poverty and engagement of youths. Mitei noted that if idle youths are engaged in Ajira work programme and related job routine plan, recent Gen-Zs demonstrations would have been prevented.
Nelson Mitei Ajira Programme South Rift Regional Coordinator speaks during Nandi National Government Heads of Department meeting at County Commissioners Boardroom on Thursday September 26, 2024.
He said if supported, youths would raise tax for public programmes, manage poverty and enable the youths to support their own families. “If we engage young people and give them opportunities, I am very sure taxes will be raised to support government programmes, they will support their families and reduce poverty levels,” he said
Mitei revealed that the government is committed to taking Ajira network to the Kenyan villages with determination to support construction of ICT hubs in every ward. National Government Administration Officers, especially the chiefs, would be trained on Ajira Programme so that the success of the Ajira jobs would be driven by them, Mitei said.
He added that the government was also keen to bring more People with Disability to online jobs. Mitei noted that Ajira programmes were currently available in vocational training centers, Technical Training Institutions and Ajira Youth Empowerment Centers since the government has distributed computers to them.
He however regretted that there was no single Ajira Youth Empowerment Centre in Nandi County which should have been supported by Constituency Development Fund. The Ajira Programme official said lack of Ajira Youth Empowerment Centres was denying Nandi youths online work related programmes and also opportunity to learn ICT skills.
He however expressed confidence that the Members of Parliament in Nandi would support the construction of the ICT Hubs in every ward and that would be instrumental in rolling out Ajira online jobs. Nandi County Commissioner Caroline Nzwili who chaired the meeting promised to mobilise the county NGAO team in strengthening the Ajira networks across the county.