By Ian Mutiso

Cattle rustling and insecurity in the northern Kenyan region could be a thing of past courtesy of the Ujuzi Manyatani initiative.

The initiative is geared towards transforming former bandits and the jobless youth.

Cattle rustling has traditionally been accepted and controlled by clan elders to restock livestock, but due to the commercialization of the activity and availability of weapons, rustling has turned out to be a dangerous activity.

The northern Kenyan region is well- known for cattle theft but the story is changing thanks to the Ujuzi Manyatani model.

Ujuzi Manyatani is a mobile vocational training model supporting youth who do not own any economic skills.

The training seeks to combat low literacy level among the young by equipping them with practical vocational skills.

The program aims to enable the youth earn a decent living through employment and self -job creation.

Peter Anguno, a program officer at the Northern Rangelands Trust said that the program has helped in filling the skills gap.

“We offer the youth with tools to help them start their own business’ after graduation,” Anguno stated.

He also added that through the Ujuzi Manyatani training, youth from different communities can interact easily and co-exist together thus decreasing the number of banditry cases.

James Lepaktore, a beneficiary of the Ujuzi Manyatani training thanked the program for helping him earn a living after fleeing his home due to cattle rustling.