In the bustling streets of Kenya’s capital Nairobi, it’s perfectly normal to see young unemployed graduates with makeshift posters hanging round their necks noting their name, phone number and qualifications. They often stand near heavy traffic hoping that potential employers will see them. For a country where young people account for over 30% of the population, this trend is genuinely worrying.
Caliph Kirui had searched for a permanent job for nine years without success despite the fact he has a Bachelor of Science degree in microbiology and biotechnology and a Master’s degree in public health from two prestigious Kenyan public universities. In 2023, armed with a placard listing his qualifications dangling around his neck, the then 32-year-old took to Nairobi’s streets. Kirui’s unconventional way of searching for a job went viral online and drew the attention of Catherine Kyobutungi, the Executive Director of African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), who then contacted him. After a successful internship, he landed a permanent job as a research officer at APHRC.
Grim employment statistics
Kenya has an estimated population of over 54 million people and over 80% are aged 35 and below according to the National Council for Population and Development. Kenya’s constitution classifies youth as individuals between the age of 18 to 34 and those in that age bracket comprise 35% of the population.
In the last quarter of 2022, there were 18.4 million young Kenyans aged between 15 and 34, a sufficient number to fill the labor shortages caused by an ageing skilled workforce. However, according to Kenya’s National Bureau of Statistics, 3.5 million young Kenyans were not in education, employment or training (NEET) in the last quarter of 2022. Consequently, they cannot enter the skilled job market.
Less jobs for qualified graduates
On the flipside, there are limited jobs even for qualified graduates. Graduates with degrees in subjects such as actuarial science, nutrition, medicine and surgery, economics, finance, law, accounting and engineering can secure solid entry-level jobs in western countries but in Kenya, such positions are scarce for young graduates.
Unemployment and unfulfilled societal expectations cause misery to young Kenyan graduates who are expected to quickly secure white-collar jobs in order to care for their families. Therefore, some fall into depression or take their own lives. In early 2023, Fredrick Muoki Wambua, a doctor on an internship, took his life and left a note detailing his frustrations about finding a job and mounting debts owed to friends and loan apps.
Speaking in 2023, Davji Atellah, the Secretary General of Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union, said the country had over 4,000 unemployed doctors. A career choice that a few years ago guaranteed a prestigious and well-paid job in the private or public sector is now flooded by unemployed jobless graduates.
Furthermore, when jobs in the Kenyan public sector are available, corruption is a problem with applicants at times bribing “gatekeepers” to gain employment, particularly in army recruitment. Corruption and unemployment result in gifted youth being deterred from pursuing higher education and training. Even those graduates who do secure a much-vaunted white-collar job, there is no job security as the harsh economic times of today are causing companies to implement budget cuts by sacking employees. A popular lament of young graduates is that even those jobs listed as being available require years of experience which they simply do not have.
Shifting professional mindsets
The unemployment problem in Kenya has been observed to cause a radical shift in mindset among progressive youth and young graduates. For the sake of earning money, graduates pursue vocational courses at Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions. Kenya has 2,427 accredited TVET institutions with courses that offer a route to blue-collar jobs which university graduates have traditionally shunned and considered to be less prestigious. They offer craft and diploma courses for subjects such as agriculture, baking, food and beverage, hospitality, carpentry, welding and fabrication, tailoring and dressmaking, plumbing, masonry, plant operation and automotive or electrical engineering. Most of these courses equip learners with the hands on technical skills needed for self-employment.
In recent years, propelled by social media, agriculture has attracted the attention of the much of Kenyan youth. In the 80s, 90s and early 2000s, agriculture was considered to be a career choice for the uneducated poor, and people aged 50 to 65. However, from around 2010 youth started to become involved in agriculture and shared their experiences on social media. Gradually, agriculture, previously viewed as a dirty career, has become glamourized by youths who made money and it morphed into agribusiness. Today Kenya’s agribusiness scene has young rich influencers like Caleb Karuga and Rodgers Kirwa who farm to make money, and post their agricultural ventures on social media to inspire others.
Need for digital literacy
Kenyan youths are fairly digitally savvy and the country has over 80% of 3G internet coverage. With companies in western countries like the U.S. embracing remote working, there are job opportunities available for them. In recent years, AI companies have been hiring remote workers around the world to train their systems and Kenyans in rural towns have tapped into these AI remote jobs and are earning a living from them. Companies like Toloka offer paid remote jobs around the world and there are also remote jobs for programmers while entertainers are earning money by posting their interesting content on TikTok, YouTube and X. Kenyan youth are mostly those taking advantage of these remote jobs which reinforces the fact that digital literacy can address youth unemployment in Kenya.
Opportunities abound to support Kenyan youth in vocational training
In Kenya, some political and non-profit organization leaders have been encouraging young people to study technical courses at TVET training centres to have a higher chance of finding employment. Last year, John Tuwei, the then acting director of the state Department of TVET said the government projects like the building of affordable housing would need TVET graduates with technical skills to work there.
Efforts have also been ongoing to upgrade TVET learning institutions. In 2023, the International Labour Organization (ILO) embarked on an initiative to make the TVET curriculum competent and supported the upgrade of the facilities at some institutions in marginalised Kenyan regions. The ILO also donated vices, welding machines, and grinders in addition to training resources that match the prevailing industry standards. On the innovation front, the International Development Research Centre has been supporting some TVET institutions with students making cooking stoves that utilize less fuel and cook more efficiently.
In the past, the Kenyan government has promised to fund innovations developed by TVET students in addition to providing educational loans and scholarships to needy students at TVET learning institutions. Within the government, the Kenya National Innovation Agency makes calls for innovations with the winners receiving funding to turn their innovations into growing businesses.
