Youth Garage Initiative
Fundraiser Pitch — KSh 30,000,000
There is a young man in Mathare who can fix your car.
He has never been given the tools. He has never been given the chance. He has watched the city grow around him — more cars on the road every year — while the opportunity to touch one professionally has remained out of reach.
He is not alone. Across Nairobi's Mathare, Kisumu's Manyatta, and Nakuru's Kaptembwa, thousands of young people wake up every morning with the drive to work but nowhere to direct it. Not for lack of talent. Not for lack of ambition. Only for lack of a door that is open to them.
The Youth Garage Initiative exists to open that door.
What We Are Building
We are raising KSh 30,000,000 to establish three fully equipped, professionally run, dealer-certified garages — one each in Nairobi, Kisumu, and Nakuru — staffed entirely by youth recruited from informal settlements in each city.
This is not a welfare programme. This is a business — built by young people from the ground up, operating to the highest technical standards in the industry, and structured to become fully self-sustaining within twelve months of launch.
By the time our first year is complete, more than 90 young people will hold dealer-endorsed mechanic certifications, be earning a living wage, and be serving customers across Kenya under the banner of some of the country's most trusted automotive brands.
The Opportunity Is Real
Kenya's vehicle population is growing faster than the capacity to service it. There are currently over 1.4 million registered vehicles in Kenya, with that figure rising every year. At the same time, reliable, affordable, and trustworthy garages — particularly outside Nairobi's wealthy suburbs — are in desperately short supply.
Millions of Kenyan car owners cannot afford dealership service prices. They turn to informal roadside mechanics where quality is inconsistent and accountability is zero. The gap between what customers need and what the market offers is enormous.
Our garages sit directly in that gap — professional quality at community prices, delivered by certified mechanics who are part of the very communities they serve.
What Makes This Different
Dealer-Certified Training
We are partnering with established Kenyan car dealerships — including conversations with Toyota Kenya, Isuzu East Africa, Concord Motors (Nissan), DT Dobie, and Subaru Kenya — to deliver brand-specific technical training at our garages.
Our youth will not receive a generic mechanic certificate. They will earn dealer-endorsed qualifications, co-signed by the manufacturers themselves, recognised across the Kenyan automotive industry. When a Toyota-certified mechanic from our Kisumu garage works on your vehicle, they are working to the same standard as a technician at an official Toyota service centre — at a fraction of the cost.
This certification model benefits everyone. Dealers gain a growing national network of authorised service points in cities and communities where they have no current presence, at zero infrastructure cost to themselves. Our youth gain credentials with genuine market value. Car owners gain access to professional service they can afford and trust.
Expert-Led from Day One
We are not starting from scratch in isolation. We are collaborating with experienced, established garage owners who will guide our setup, mentor our lead mechanics, and share the operational knowledge built over years in the industry. Our youth will learn from the best — and then become the best.
Three Cities. Real Scale.
Nairobi — our flagship branch, serving the largest urban market in East Africa
Kisumu — opening the western Kenya corridor, where Isuzu and Nissan have deep market presence and few official service points
Nakuru — serving the rapidly growing Rift Valley corridor and its expanding vehicle-owning population
Each branch employs 30 young people drawn from the informal settlements of that city. Each operates as a fully independent business within twelve months. Together, they form the foundation of a national network that will continue to grow.
How the KSh 30 Million Is Spent
Every shilling is accounted for, transparently allocated, and independently audited.
CategoryAmountNairobi workshop — space, fit-out, equipment, training vehicles, wages buffer, licensingKSh 10,300,000Kisumu workshop — space, fit-out, equipment, training vehicles, wages buffer, licensingKSh 8,200,000Nakuru workshop — space, fit-out, equipment, training vehicles, wages buffer, licensingKSh 7,800,000Shared: TVETA-accredited training programme across all 3 branchesKSh 1,500,000Shared: Central programme management, M&E, and governance (2 years)KSh 1,200,000Shared: Brand, marketing, and 3 city launch eventsKSh 700,000Shared: Impact monitoring, annual audit, donor reportingKSh 200,000Contingency reserveKSh 100,000TotalKSh 30,000,000
Each branch budget covers a two-year lease, full workshop fit-out, a complete professional tool set, two dedicated training vehicles, a six-month wages buffer for trainees and lead mechanics, and all licensing and compliance costs. Nothing is cut short. When our garages open, they open properly.
The Human Story
Behind every shilling raised is a young person whose life this changes permanently.
A certified mechanic in Nairobi earns between KSh 30,000 and KSh 80,000 per month. For a young person from Mathare, that is not just income — it is a transformation of their family's trajectory. It is school fees for younger siblings. It is rent paid on time. It is the beginning of savings, of dignity, of a future that was not visible before.
Multiply that by 90 people across three cities and you are not looking at a charity project. You are looking at an economic intervention with compounding returns — in productivity, in community stability, in reduced dependency, and in the simple, powerful fact of a young person who can look their parent in the eye and say: I have work. I have skills. I have a future.
How You Can Help
Give Directly
TierAmountWhat It DoesSupporterKSh 1,000Your name on the wall of every branch. Progress updates throughout the campaign.ContributorKSh 5,000Personal thank-you video from a trainee. Invitation to a branch launch event.ChampionKSh 10,000Sponsor one young person's full dealer-certified training programme. Impact certificate and photo updates as they progress.Branch PartnerKSh 100,000Your logo at one branch. Quarterly impact reports. A private site visit.Founding SponsorKSh 500,000A named training bay or tool station at a branch of your choice. Advisory board seat.City SponsorKSh 3,000,000Full naming rights to one branch. Co-branding across all campaign materials.Anchor DonorKSh 10,000,000Fund the entire Nairobi flagship. The programme carries your name. Governance seat. Annual impact gala.
Partner With Us
If you represent a car dealership, a financial institution, a county government, or a corporate with CSR commitments, we want to talk to you. There is a partnership structure that works for your brand, your reach, and your obligations — and delivers genuine, measurable community impact in return.
Spread the Word
Share this pitch. Send it to one person who can give, and one person who knows someone who can give. The KSh 30 million we need does not have to come from a single cheque. It can come from thousands of Kenyans who believe that a young person from Mathare deserves the same shot at a skilled career as anyone else.
Our Commitment to You
Every donor — from KSh 1,000 to KSh 10,000,000 — will receive:
A published budget breakdown before we spend a single shilling
Quarterly progress updates as branches are built, equipped, and staffed
An independently audited impact report at the end of Year 1
Open-door access to visit any of our three branches at any time
We are building something that Kenya can be proud of. We are asking you to build it with us.
Contact & Campaign Details
Initiative: Youth Garage Initiative
Fundraising target: KSh 30,000,000
Branches: Nairobi · Kisumu · Nakuru
Youth to be employed: 90+
Campaign duration: 240 days
Training standard: TVETA-accredited, dealer-endorsed certification
To donate, partner, or request a full proposal document, contact us at:
[Alphonce Obonyo] | [+254717604079] | [alphonceobonyo21@gmail.com] | [PayBill Number: 542542
Account Number for Payments: 536116]
"We are not asking for charity. We are asking for the investment that turns potential into prosperity — and proves that the best mechanics in Kenya were always there, waiting for someone to hand them the tools."
