Truth or lies, promises to youth as 2022 elections approach
The proportion at which unemployed persons have grown in Kenya is startling, even as many more continue to seek higher education.
The United Nations Development Programme ranked Kenya as having the highest unemployment rate in the East African region.
According to the study in 2021, one out of every five youth in Kenya is unemployed even as thousands of graduates flock the job market every year.
Young people increased in the first quarter of 2021, compared to the previous quarter.
In the age group between 20 and 24 years, the rate stood at 16.3 per cent, up from 15 per cent by 2020.
Among young people aged 15 to 19 years, the unemployment level grew to nearly seven per cent, after reaching the lowest level at 2.8 per cent in Q4 2020.
The statistic shows the youth unemployment rate in Kenya from 1999 and 2019 estimated youth unemployment rate in Kenya was at 7.17 per cent.
Lack of jobs can be attributed to three major causes namely corruption, poor education system and government offering contracts to foreigners’ firms.
Corruption
Despite having a huge number of graduates who are qualified, you can hardly find a job in Kenya without ‘connections’ and this is caused by tribalism and nepotism which are norms in the country currently.
Poor education system
The education system in Kenya has been put on the spot over reports that the system as is currently set does not train learners to be job creators, but instead pumps them with the knowledge that enables them to become job seekers when they are done with schooling.
Nevertheless, a good percentage of Kenyans lack proper education due to the lack of school fees while others feel like the system is a fraud, as the large number of graduates lack jobs despite being qualified.
The emphasis on white-collar jobs during formal training in schools and colleges has damaged the mindset of the youth who now believe that without securing an excellent employment opportunity they cannot achieve much in life.
The Government offering contract opportunities to foreign firms. Kenya universities do have good engineering courses but the government would rather work with more skilled Chinese engineers to deliver timely on a public project/job.
The competence of home-grown engineers has not been put to test as you will never find graduates from these universities on road construction sites or generally taking up mega projects in the construction industry.
Politicians have however used the lack of unemployment as a campaign tool to woo youthful voters ahead of the general elections slated for August 9, 2022.
Deputy President William Ruto who is among the frontrunners to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta, has often been heard promising to set aside Sh100 billion to create employment for the youth if elected President stating it will be his top priority.
Ruto even hit out at his competitors saying that they are too focused on creating and sharing top positions in government, but he contends that they will have to wait until he turns the economy around and changes the lives of youths.
ODM leader Raila Odinga while addressing youths drawn from Kiambu County pledged to ensure youth access affordable capital and which they will only be required to repay after seven years once their businesses make profit.
One Kenya Alliance Principals Kalonzo Musyoka (Wiper), Musalia Mudavadi (ANC), Moses Wetangula (Ford Kenya) and Gideon Moi (KANU) are keen to note that the Export Processing Zone (EPZ), could benefit the residents by creating more job opportunities.
Kalonzo, who has always advocated for 24-hour working shifts in government, added that the Kenyan constitution does not guarantee that the payment of salary should be done on a monthly basis.
