Kenya’s Youth Unemployment Crisis: A Ticking Time Bomb
By Vivian Okiya Nandwa,
As Kenya celebrates its Madaraka Day, unemployment remains a puzzle to many in power.
Despite the fact that the country is having most of her young people graduating out of universities, colleges and TVET institutions, they face a challenge of scarce job opportunities that are available in the job market which leaves most of them jobless even with their qualifications.
In most occasions, these young people run out of options and decide to engage in informal job opportunities such as hawking, bodaboda riding, online works, hairdressing, just to mention a few. These opportunities, however, suffer from lack of capital and finances to keep them running. Above all, the young people lack the necessary skills in running business considering that most of them have graduated from different fields but are forced into business by situations.
Interviews with a few individuals have brought out the frustrations that these young people are going through, mostly from the job hunting. They have to attend so many interviews that turns out to be unfruitful. Some share their tough experiences of trying to survive back at home after school something that has driven most of them into entrepreneurship even without proper understanding of it.
From the research, strengthening and fully supporting the vocational trainings and TVET institutions will provide a lasting solution to this crisis. This is because of their elaborate curriculum that provides hands on learning. Additionally, empowering youth business, encouraging them to start businesses by providing capital and creating awareness on digital marketing will also be great boosters in dealing with the crisis.
Youths in Kenya remains the largest population and with their cries not listened to might lead to a call of country tomorrow.
