The official launch of the Eliud Owalo Foundation on 8 November 2025./ PHOTO ; Eliud Owalo Foundation
Kenyans are set to benefit from a new empowerment initiative following the official launch of the Eliud Owalo Foundation on 8 November 2025, a program aimed at uplifting marginalized communities through youth and women empowerment, education, digital inclusion, community health, and climate action.
The launch event, held in Nairobi, brought together leaders from government, the private sector, and the international community, all united by a shared commitment to creating opportunities for Kenya’s most vulnerable populations.
The foundation seeks to build a self-reliant Kenya driven by digital innovation, focusing on initiatives that target youth and women, while also investing in sports, enterprise development, and digital skills training.
Speaking during the event, Eliud Owalo, Deputy Chief of Staff for Delivery and Government Efficiency in the Office of the President of Kenya, highlighted the foundation’s focus on youth empowerment.
He noted that a significant portion of the foundation’s work is aimed at addressing high youth unemployment and underemployment, which continue to hinder social and economic development.
“To this end, good people, a large proportion of the foundation’s interventions have focused on youth empowerment,” Owalo said.
“The foundation’s anticipated interventions on youth empowerment include initiatives aimed at addressing high youth unemployment and underemployment by leveraging sports, skills development, and enterprise support as tools for empowerment.”
The foundation also aims to strengthen women’s economic inclusion. Programs will support women-led enterprises through SACCOs and seed capital, providing resources to help them expand and thrive in local communities. These efforts are expected to increase financial independence, stimulate local economies, and create opportunities for broader social development.
Owalo further called on the private sector, development organizations, and citizens to partner with the foundation in its mission, emphasizing the importance of collaboration in driving sustainable change.
“Owalo has urged private sector partners and citizens to join in turning marginalization into empowerment, powering Kenya’s future one woman, one youth, one community at a time,” the transcript records.
Addressing the audience, Henriette Geiger, the European Union Ambassador to Kenya, praised the foundation’s thematic focus and highlighted the shared commitment between the EU and the foundation to harness information and communication technology (ICT) as a tool for transformation.
“The foundation we’re launching today has thematic pillars that resonate very well with the work of the European Union, and we share the foundation’s conviction that ICT is an essential tool in the transformation journey,” Geiger said.
“The relatively youthful population can be a key transformative element for a major economic takeoff in the energy, creativity, and entrepreneurship space,” she added.
The foundation aims to leverage Kenya’s youthful population, which constitutes about 75 percent of those under 35, as a key driver for economic growth, innovation, and community development.
By combining digital skills training, enterprise support, sports initiatives, and women’s economic empowerment, the foundation seeks to create opportunities that enable marginalized communities to thrive.
With its focus on education, digital inclusion, health, and climate action, the Eliud Owalo Foundation complements national development strategies and international development goals.
Through partnerships with government agencies, the private sector, and international organizations, the foundation hopes to turn marginalization into empowerment, fostering sustainable progress and a future defined by inclusion, innovation, and shared prosperity.
Help us tell more untold stories of African Changemakers!
To DONATE or Pledge: CLICK HERE
