Story by; Victor Baraza
Kenya needs more jobs. But as young people enter the labour market, we must also ask whether our education and training systems are equipping them to create opportunities of their own.
For many young Kenyans, completing an education is supposed to mark the beginning of a new chapter: finding employment, earning an income and building a future. Yet, for many, the transition from education to work is far from straightforward.
The competition for formal employment is intense, and the opportunities available do not always match the number of young people entering the labour market. While creating more decent jobs remains essential, there is another question worth asking: are we equipping young people not only to seek opportunities, but also to recognise problems they can solve and build viable businesses around those solutions?
Entrepreneurship is not a substitute for decent employment, nor should young people be expected to solve a structural jobs crisis on their own. However, when supported with the right skills, tools and enabling environment, entrepreneurship can provide another pathway to economic participation.
The challenge is ensuring that young people who choose this path are not left to figure everything out on their own.
Beyond the idea: What does it take to build a business?
The need for practical entrepreneurship support came into focus during the pilot implementation of the Inclusive Entrepreneurship Programme under the IYBA-SEED project.
Funded by SlovakAid and SNV, and implemented by Impact Gateway Africa, the initiative supports the development of entrepreneurial capabilities and a stronger ecosystem for enterprise growth.
In June-July 2026, ICON Data & Learning Labs (IDL) participated as one of the selected Entrepreneur Support Organizations (ESOs) involved in piloting the Inclusive Entrepreneurship Programme in Kisumu County. This followed IDL’s engagement in the curriculum’s co-creation and validation processes, as well as the Training of Trainers (ToT).
Through the pilot, IDL reached 10 entrepreneurs (5 women and 5 men) providing practical skills and tools to help them navigate the realities of starting and managing a business.
The programme’s early lessons highlighted a challenge familiar to many entrepreneurs: having a promising idea or product does not automatically translate into having the skills to run a business effectively. Entrepreneurs also need practical knowledge, clear direction and the confidence to make informed decisions as they build and strengthen their enterprises.
Learning to run a business, one lesson at a time
For Awino Owino , founder of Okumba Naturals, which produces organic soaps and scented candles, the programme offered something she had not experienced before: structured learning on how to run a business.
“I didn’t go to school for entrepreneurship. I had never sat in an entrepreneurship class before, but I had to figure out how to run my business day to day. This programme has felt like going to school for my business, and the lessons have come in handy in my daily operations,” she shared.
Owino’s experience highlights a reality for many entrepreneurs who build their businesses through trial and error. They learn by doing, responding to challenges as they emerge, often without formal training to guide their decisions.
Practical entrepreneurship education can help bridge that gap. It creates room for business owners to reflect on their experiences, develop new skills and approach familiar challenges with better tools.
The value of the programme was not simply in acquiring new knowledge. It was in being able to apply what she learned to the day-to-day running of her business.
Daisy Lopez , who inherited a cyber business from her mom and is working to modernise its services, also found the programme useful, particularly its financial management component.
One of the lessons she took away was the importance of separating personal finances from business finances. Although this may appear to be a basic business practice, maintaining that distinction can help entrepreneurs understand their business expenses, track performance and make more informed financial decisions.
Daisy’s experience points to an important distinction: having a business is not the same as having the systems needed to manage it effectively. A business owner may have the initiative and commitment to keep a venture running but still need support with the financial and operational practices that help it develop.
Together, these experiences show why entrepreneurship support must go beyond encouraging young people to start businesses. It must also equip them with practical skills they can apply to the realities of running and sustaining those businesses.
Rethinking what we prepare young people for
Kenya’s employment challenge requires action on several fronts. The country needs more decent jobs, stronger pathways from education to employment, and an environment in which businesses can access finance, markets, infrastructure and appropriate support.
At the same time, education and training must prepare young people for a world in which career paths are not always linear. Some will enter formal employment, others will build businesses, and many will move between the two over the course of their working lives.
This calls for a broader understanding of what it means to prepare someone for the future. Beyond academic qualifications, young people need opportunities to develop problem-solving skills, financial literacy, digital capabilities and the confidence to turn ideas into practical solutions.
They also need support systems that recognise entrepreneurship as a process, not a single event. Starting a business is one milestone; learning how to price products, manage cash flow, reach customers and adapt to changing circumstances is ongoing work.
The experiences emerging from the Inclusive Entrepreneurship Programme pilot in Kisumu offer a useful reminder that practical support matters. When learning responds to the challenges entrepreneurs are actually facing, it becomes easier to connect knowledge with action.
At IDL, our participation in the pilot reinforced the importance of connecting learning with the realities of the people it is intended to serve. Entrepreneurship support is most meaningful when it helps business owners make sense of their challenges and identify practical next steps.
Beyond waiting for an opportunity
Kenya’s young people do not lack ideas or ambition. What they need is an environment that gives those ideas a fair chance: relevant skills, accessible support, stronger market connections and policies that make it possible for businesses to grow.
Entrepreneurship alone will not solve unemployment. But preparing young people to identify opportunities, build viable enterprises and make informed business decisions can contribute to a more inclusive economy, alongside sustained efforts to create decent jobs.
The question, then, is not whether every young person should become an entrepreneur. It is whether every young person has the knowledge, skills and support to navigate a changing economy and pursue a viable path forward.
Because preparing young people for the future must mean more than preparing them to wait for an opportunity. It must also mean equipping them to create one.
