DECENT INCOME

 Many youths In Mathare have no access to decent income. A decent income is an income that guarantees one to live with dignity because one can access basic needs like food, shelter, affordable healthcare and clothing.

According to a survey by IPSOS 2018, nearly half of Kenya households earn less than Sh10,000 per month while two percent have completely no income . where does this leave the youth who form almost 70% of the inhabitants in in Kenya?

With many youths, especially in informal settlements like Mathare, associated with crime and violence, it is very hard for them to access decent income. Many youths in my community are therefore self-employed. Majority of them run small businesses because it does not require any qualifications. But self-employment is not as easy as many people think. The Kenya National bureau of Statistics suggests that about 440000 micro, small and medium sized enterprises MSMEs shut down annually between 2011 and 2016.

Youth owned ventures continue to struggle, joblessness rises daily and crime slowly creeps in, making living in Mathare catastrophic