• The KCB’s 2jiajiri programme addresses the problem of youth unemployment
• It creates jobs for the youth through skill development and vocational scholarships
As the sun sets in Tuala, Kajiado, the captivating story of David Mutere is that of a man who has carved his path in this enchanting town. https://shorturl.at/ANWDG
Image: TRACY MUTHONI
As the sun sets in Tuala, Kajiado, the captivating story of David Mutere is that of a man who has carved his path in this enchanting town.
In the heart of Kajiado amidst the rich traditions and vibrant community, Mutere, 28, owns a studio that has become a haven for preserving memories through the lens of a camera.
Step into it and the walls captivate you. They are adorned with photographs that tell of his talent.
However, Mutere did not just wake up one day and open a studio.
His story is that of passion, perseverance and an unwavering commitment to his craft.
Mutere attributes his success to KCB Foundation’s 2Jiajiri programme.
The programme aims to empower and equip unemployed and out-of-school youth to grow micro-enterprises by providing them with technical skill training opportunities.
It also up-skills and certifies existing micro-entrepreneurs who wish to move their business from the informal to the formal sector.
Mutere says through the foundation, he was sponsored to study film at Filamu Juani.
After its completion, he established Emunai Media Production, an audiovisual business.
NOMAD TO FREELANCER
The 28-year-old grew up as a nomad in what he says was a simple background.
“We kept livestock as an activity around here,” he says.
“After my high school, I pursued my tertiary education and attained a diploma in media, journalism and mass communication. I went for my attachment and later worked for different media houses.”
After that, he became a freelancer, obtained some equipment and set up the Emunai Media Production. This undertaking came with various challenges.
“As a freelancer, you are independent and need good equipment that will help sell your work to the clients. So the lack of good tools was one of the challenges,” Mutere says.
“This work requires teamwork, and having that crew requires someone who has undergone training. Sometimes it’s hard to get a crew that can deliver.”
Despite the challenges, Mutere says his relationship with KCB Foundation helped him acquire skills to manage his business.
He says he learnt about the programme through an advertisement.
“My friend linked me with what was going on. I received the hard copy for the application and applied in 2020, just post Covid-19, because I had lost a job,” Mutere says.
After applying, he forwarded the papers to the KCB Ongata Rongai office. After a while, he did his interview online and qualified, but because of various challenges, he could not join the course.
“In 2023, KCB called me and said I didn’t give reasons as to why I didn’t join the course. However, after our conversation with them, I gave them the reason and they listened. Now that they still had a course on film. I pursued that.”
Image: TRACY MUTHONI
FILM SKILLS
Mutere says through KCB, he acquired skills mostly on film.
“But you know film is broad, I did camera operation, lighting, sound, which is major in production, and training on communication skills, which is important when dealing with clients,” he says.
“I also did editing, which helped because after doing production, you need to do post-production. I also learnt photography and how to do production.”
The 28-year-old says some of the assignments were to do the real shoot: short film, podcasts and music production. This, he says, gave him the knowledge to work around in society.
He says the training also helped him advance in what he does.
“The equipment being used out there, like big cameras, also challenged me. Like now our vision is to buy big cameras. My lesson was I should not settle on what I have but what is in the market,” Mutere says.
“The unique skills I got, like photography, helped me learn how technology has advanced. You can even use your phone to edit photos, and also I was equipped with skills on how to use different editing software.”
Mutere says after his training, he taught a lot of people, whom he feels were impacted.
“I was equipped and now I'm equipping my fellow youth so we can have more crew. Through the programme, KCB was to train us and give us the toolkit,” he says.
“That was very interesting. I know there is a programme going on for us to receive the toolkits, and that will be a big boost. I am grateful to KCB for that.
“Also, apart from the toolkits, KCB has helped us market our work because they created a platform for us to do so. There is a team working with us and they are organising events for us to showcase what we have done and what we can do.”
GROWING BUSINESS
Mutere's studio in Tuala, Kajiado, serves a good number of clients.
“You may have a good space but the quality of work keeps our clients coming back,” Mutere says.
“So we cover birthdays, graduations, video conferences and other social events. We try and serve clients from all counties. It’s all about a phone call and we go to where our clients are. So we are mobile and all those are our clients.
“I have young people who have worked with us. Three people have been beneficiaries of what I do. One is working here, I have employed them, and the other two work part-time. When we have major events, that’s when they come in.”
The 28-year-old advises young people to come out and be job creators.
“The business environment might not be conducive, but we can always come out and do something,” he says.
“We need to change our thinking from being employed to being employers. If I create an opportunity for two people, then I have reduced unemployment in the country.
“Since we have the skills, let’s create employment. The government can support us by creating a conducive business environment.”
The KCB’s 2jiajiri programme addresses the problem of youth unemployment by creating jobs for the youth through skill development and vocational scholarships.
According to the KCB Foundation, the KCB 2jiajiri programme has created 149,309 jobs, trained 29,712 youths, 9,708 businesses have been incubated, and Sh267 million loans have been disbursed.
The programme has also issued 1,612 business startup toolkits with institutional deposits standing at Sh1.03 billion and 6,335 businesses trained on financial planning.