About Us | Tana River Centre for Innovation and Youth Empowerment

Our Story

The Tana River Campus and Centre for Innovation, Training, and Youth Empowerment

The Tana River Campus and Centre for Innovation, Training, and Youth Empowerment was launched on 23rd March, 2022 by Tana River County Government and Kenya School of Government with support from UNDP in the presence of several other state and non-state development partners. It is the first and only centre of its kind in Kenya running youth-centred skills training, entrepreneurship and enterprise promotion, employment services, and learning-by-action systems programmes.

The Centre is home to the Tana River Innovation Commercialisation, Entrepreneurship & Youth Empowerment program, a foundational step in transforming the Tana River and the coastal innovation ecosystem at large. This programme is designed to guide selected innovators and entrepreneurs through structured capacity-building training, equipping them with essential business, innovation, and hands-on skills, and preparing them for product and service commercialisation, job opportunities, investment-readiness, and regional impact.

Youth learning digital skills at the Tana River Campus and Centre for Innovation, Training, and Youth Empowerment

Community sensitization and youth inclusion

Why This Matters

Problem Statement

The transition immediately after Form Four represents the most critical and vulnerable stage for youth in our community. Most school leavers exit this stage full of hope, anticipating a brighter future ahead. Yet more than 50% of youth in our community fail to realize their ambitions not for lack of desire, but because they lack the guidance, mentorship, and structured support needed to translate that hope into real progress.

Without this support, many young people fall prey to negative peer influence that diverts them from their original goals and ambitions onto entirely different, often destructive paths. Young women are especially vulnerable, with many facing early pregnancy due to limited awareness and access to guidance. Others, regardless of gender, see their progress stall entirely under the weight of family or community expectations and obligations.

This gap makes clear the urgent need for a structured program that intervenes at this exact point in a young person's life, providing direction, mentorship, and opportunity before negative influences take hold. Achieving this also requires deliberate community sensitization: parents and guardians must understand the value of enrolling their children in this programme immediately after completing high school. Particular emphasis will be placed on ensuring equitable access for girls and Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), guaranteeing that no young person is excluded from this opportunity because of gender or disability.

Institution

The Tana River Campus and Centre for Innovation, Training, and Youth Empowerment.

Target Group

Immediate Form Four leavers and the wider community.

Duration

Four-month crash-course framework (16 weeks), delivered in three cohorts a year, with an optional two-month advanced specialization and incubation extension.

Our Focus

Five Key Sectors

The programme aligns on five integrated sectors that move learners from foundational skills to enterprise and employment.

1. Digital Skills

2. Innovation & Commercialisation

3. Entrepreneurship

4. Green-Blue Economy

5. Leadership, Talent & Skills Development

How We Are Organised

Program Categories

1. (TRCITYE) Centre Programs

Core Centre training delivered across the five strategic sectors: Digital Skills, Innovation & Commercialisation, Entrepreneurship, Green-Blue Economy, and Leadership, Talent & Skills Development.

2. Partner Programs

Specialized pathways delivered with strategic partners, including the Dariu Tech Club and the Digiken digital-skills programme.

3. Higher Learning Institutions Collaboration Programs

Collaboration programmes with universities and tertiary institutions to extend certification and progression pathways.

Partner Programs

Delivered With Partners

Dariu Tech Club

By the end of the programme, learners will be able to:

Identify community challenges and generate innovative projects and solutions.
Use digital tools and AI to enhance creativity, productivity, and problem-solving.
Develop and validate business ideas based on market needs.
Build prototypes and test solutions with real users.
Understand intellectual property protection and innovation ownership.
Develop business models and commercialization strategies.
Package entrepreneurship projects & innovations for pitching, investment, and market opportunities.
Establish pathways towards entrepreneurship, employment, and partnerships.

Digiken Program

Self-paced online digital-skills pathways for learners and entrepreneurs:

Foundational Digital Skills (FDS1) — Beginner training covering computer systems, file management, internet safety, media literacy, and digital rights over roughly 8 hours. (Online – Self Paced)
Intermediate Digital Skills (IDS1) — Practical training on operating systems, databases, cloud tools, cyber security, and data protection under Kenya's laws across about 10.5 hours. (Online – Self Paced)
Advanced Digital Skills (ADS1) — Introduction to coding, artificial intelligence, digital branding, and automation spanning roughly 8 hours. (Online – Self Paced)
Digital Skills for MSMEs (DSM1) — Advanced business-focused track covering financial literacy, regulatory compliance, intellectual property, and investment readiness over nearly 12 hours. (Online – Self Paced)

Key Program Partners: UNESCO, UN – Women, UNEP & UNCDF.

Higher Learning Institutions

Higher Learning Collaboration Programs

Pwani University

Collaboration programmes will be shared soon.

Taita Taveta University

Collaboration programmes will be shared soon.

Our Values

What We Stand For

Inclusivity

No one is left behind—programmes are designed for women, persons with disabilities, and marginalized groups.

Innovation

We embrace new ideas, technologies, and methodologies to solve local challenges effectively.

Integrity

Transparency, accountability, and ethical stewardship in all our operations.

Collaboration

Strong partnerships with government, communities, and the private sector.

Sustainability

Programmes that create lasting impact beyond project lifecycles.

Professionalism

Highest standards in training, service delivery, and governance.

Guiding Principles

Principles That Guide Us

The implementation and full realization of our work is guided by principles drawn from the Constitution of Kenya, Vision 2030 and the National Youth Policy.

Equity and Equality

We uphold equitable distribution of resources and services and promotion of access to empowerment opportunities among the youth.

Involvement & Participation

Youth have a right to associate, be represented and participate in political, social, economic and other spheres of life.

Impact and Sustainability

Evidence based impact and continuity of interventions are integral dimensions of design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

Empowerment

We encourage and develop skills for self-sufficiency with a focus on eliminating the future need for charity or welfare.

Governance

Proposed Centre Structure

Board of Trustees

The policy making organ responsible for approving budgets, resource mobilization and supporting the secretariat.

County Youth Committee

Provides advisory functions to the Centre. Composed of 15 Ward Youth Coordinators representing all wards.

Secretariat

Vested with day-to-day running of the organization. Headed by the Centre Director and Head of Programmes.

Ward Volunteers

Nominated by youth from respective wards to support Centre programmes and human resource functions.

Leadership

Meet the Team

Ahmed Hassan

Executive Director

Fatuma Ali

Programs Manager

John Mwangi

Finance Officer

Aisha Omar

Communications Coordinator