The Government recognizes that empowering the youth is critical to enable them to reach their full potential and drive the attainment of development goals articulated in the Kenya Vision 2030 blueprint, the Big Four Agenda, and the Kenya Youth Development Policy 2019. Their empowerment is equally essential in enabling the country to realize her international obligations, which include the United Nations Strategy for the youth (2014), African Union Agenda (2063), and SDGs (2030).

Unemployment, underemployment, lack of employable skills, poor health, insufficient socio-economic support, drug use and substance abuse, and limited access to ICT, especially for those in difficult-to-reach areas, are some of the obstacles hindering youth from attaining their full potential and contributing to the country’s development process. Failure to provide appropriate opportunities for this large population segment has significant economic, political, and social consequences.

The Government of Kenya has prioritized designing and implementing relevant empowerment programs, strategies, and policies to mitigate risks and tackle the challenges confronting our youth. Among the efforts is establishing the Youth Enterprise Development Fund (YEDF) in the year 2006 to address the challenge of youth unemployment through enterprise development. The Fund was transformed into a state corporation in the year 2007 vide Youth Enterprise Development Fund Legal Order No. 63 of 2007.

The Youth Enterprise development Fund is designed to address the challenges facing youth owned enterprises which include lack of access to affordable credit, lack of entrepreneurial capacity to run sustainable enterprises, barriers to access to markets as well as lack of affordable and decent youth focused commercial infrastructure.