Eradicating Unemployment In Kenya

Eradicating Unemployment In Kenya

In the next months, we are bound to hear plenty about eradicating unemployment in Kenya from our beloved politicians.

OOh sorry!! I should have pointed out next year is an election year and we all know what happens in the run up to any election. Wanna be politicians and current legislatures all  go on a high promising to deliver a piece of heaven.

The youth vote being their center of interest, politicians are bound to come up with all kinds of ridiculous and seemingly excellent ideas on how they will make all of us millionaires next year or once elected.

And the sad part it, we are gullible and desperate for some any thing that sounds like good news(fools gold) that we will fall for these promises line, hook and sinker.

Unemployment in Kenya is a rapidly growing monster that if not addressed soon, we will all perish.

Have you noticed street families are back on the city streets and in the estates? This means soon petty crimes will be on the raise again. Those days of handbag snatching will be back with us again.

As a result of the raising costs of living, basic needs have become a mirage for many. Those who were dependent on odd jobs now have no source of income, so what do they do? Of course like you and me they also have to meet their basic needs, the only way they know how, survival on the street.

 Can We Eradicate Unemployment in Kenya?

Yes we can, but only if we do it together, as a society.

We need to identify the root cause of the unemployment disease, then take ownership before we can be able to effectively stamp it out. Initiatives such as Kazi kwa Vijana is a complete waste of resources and is almost criminal to say the least.

This is more a Pesa Pap module which promotes a dependency culture other than addressing the root problem.

Creating employment should not be the preserve of a few. It should be well machine owned and run the society as a whole. We should all be stakeholders as government, private sector, NGOs and the general public.

Baby Steps to Eradicating Unemployment in Kenya

  • Change our education system

In our current education system, we teach our children that success is defined by the kind of employment they will land on after campus.So they will have to depend on someone to create that employment for them. Why not teach them to create employment for others.

The foundation we lay for our children toady, will determine the future of this nation. Let us teach them to be individuals, be different, inspire creativity, engage them to work with their hands. Which by the way they love to do at tender age, till we misinform them that dirty disease infested and kill their creativity right there at that tender age.

  • Change our attitude towards the Jua Kali sector

This calls for a change of attitude towards those who work in the informal sector, Jua Kali, who are currently the single largest employer. Yet we look upon the people who work in this sector as second rate citizens. It is a last resort for those who do not get absorbed by the white collar jobs or where we go after the corporate world has usurped our product years.

Shouldn’t this be the first stop for majority of us, especially when you are young and are full of ideas that you can build on. Remember those days of Science congress, forgive my ignorance, are they still there? anyway do you remember all those inventions that would be on display, such talent, but of what end?

We will have to learn to engage peoples’ gifting and turn them into a lucrative, income generating ventured. Otherwise we will remain a consumer country till we learn to nurture growth of small industries and stop importing everything.

  • Protect local industries

Let us stop importing everything, especially agricultural products. Support the farmer, he will not only feed us but provides employment opportunities within his locality.

  • Embrace technology as an employer

Technology is here to stay, and the internet is proving to be a source of employment to many. There are numerous opportunities for people, especially college/university students and graduates. There are opportunities such as content creation for websites and offering free lance services such as web design, coding and logo designers.

Stay at home mums, or pregnant women can also work from home, by taking advantage of online jobs.

We have an opportunity to change the course of this nation by implementing tips of eradicating unemployment in Kenya.

Written by: 

Pauline is the CEO at Allen Cole, also consults for iWork and Elite Writers Hub. She works with small and medium size organizations to increase their visibility online through corporate blogging, content creation, website development and social media engagement.