Youth from Mavoko Sub-County have been urged to form groups to enable them benefit from public funds alongside other government programmes.
This call was made in Athi River town on Friday by Albert Jaoko from the region's sub county probation office who said several young people were idle.
"I urge youth from Mavoko to form new groups or join the already existing ones to seek public funds from the government," said Jaoko.
Jaoko who spoke to this writer shortly after facilitating at an Inter-Faith Religious Forum on drugs and substance abuse at St Jude's Catholic Church noted that several youth engaged in illegal activities because they were desperate.
"Several youth go to school and clear universities with high expectations of getting lucrative jobs only to end up getting frustrated after tarmacking for years in vain," said Jaoko.
According to Jaoko, Kenya is facing high joblessness rates and therefore state programmes and initiatives such as Uwezo and Youth Enterprise Development funds were decisive initiatives instrumental for empowering the youth.
Jaoko called on youth from the region to take advantage of the initiatives, come up with creative ideas and use the funds to establish businesses to become their own employers instead of relying on formal employment.
He said it was useless for the youth to waste so many years looking for jobs while there were credible alternatives of becoming successful employers.