1,000 ‘overqualified’ applicants to miss Elgeyo-Marakwet County jobs

More than 1,000 university graduates have applied for jobs reserved for Form Four leavers in the Elgeyo-Marakwet County government.

However, none of them will be considered because they are overqualified, according to County Public Service Board chairman Gideon Kipyakwai.

Out of 2,366 applicants for the positions of revenue clerks and enforcement officers that the board advertised, 1,100 were university graduates with degrees and diplomas.

Only 105 will be hired and be deployed to various stations in the county.

The jobs would be given to applicants with Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education certificates only, Mr Kipyakwai said.

“This is because the job and scale is suitable for the lot and therefore those who are overqualified won’t be lucky,” he said.

POTENTIAL WORKFORCE

The board, however, was impressed that a big number of the county’s youth had pursued higher education and were a potential workforce that could favourably compete for positions locally and internationally, he said.

Shortlisted candidates are expected to appear for interviewers on April 2 at St Patrick’s High School, Iten.

Governor Alex Tolgos said the applications received from the graduates pointed to a serious unemployment problem that needed to be addressed.

“The solution for unemployment is not just being hired for white-collar jobs as not all of us can be employed by the government.

“We want these university graduates who are desperate for jobs to consider forming companies and bid for tenders and we will give them,” said Governor Tolgos.

The governor, who spoke at St Patrick’s Iten High School during a thanksgiving ceremony, said he started a business after university.

“I opened a shop with another business partner in the university entrances where I was the shopkeeper,” he said.