Around the world, the youth are considered as future leaders. However, there are few mentorship programs that prepare them for the demanding role that awaits them.
It is with this desire of creating a better future for the youth that Mike Mutungi, a civil engineer by profession, followed his passion to start youth empowerment programs across the country.
Through the I choose life foundation, the engineer who doubles as the foundation’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), mentors youth aged 10 to 24 years to make better and informed life choices.
One of the challenges affecting the youth that Mutungi hopes to eradicate is the prevalence of HIV/AIDS among the youth. The youth enthusiast notes that the disease has affected many students especially those in institutions of higher learning.
“The NGO was incepted in 2002 with an objective of contributing to the reduction of HIV prevalence and susceptibility to infections among the youth in institutions of higher learning, out of school youth, high school youth, and the community,” he stated.
At a past interview, he revealed that he was motivated to start the shunned conversation having lost three relatives to the disease.
Mutungi, who is also a graduate of Divinity, explained that the church holds power in transforming the lives of the youth.
“Our development in Kenya tends to take place in silos. The government is doing its thing, the academy is doing its thing, the business community is doing its thing but I realised that we need to bring these players together to bring about change. And I realized that the religious community can be a powerful force,” the man of God stated.
Additionally, through the foundation, the engineer has engaged in the empowerment of girls through education. In 2017, his efforts were recognised by the Ministry of Education as they partnered to create the girls’ education challenge dubbed Jielimishe Girls.
Since its launch, the five-year program has targeted over 10,123 girls in marginalised communities of Meru, Mombasa, and Laikipia.
Apart from his mentorship program, Mutugi has also had a remarkable career in the business industry and is among the founding members of Jiinue Credit Company LTD, a company that aims at eradicating poverty through the provision of credit to low-income earning Kenyans.
Mutungi is also an accomplished academician and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from the University of Nairobi. He also holds a Masters in Divinity from the Nairobi International School of theology and authored Kenya Mpya, a book that advocates for accountability among leaders in government.
The engineer is also the chairman of Health NGO Network (HENNET) and a founding member of Ebatech Engineering Company Limited.
