Thousands attend Machakos job fair
Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua and Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore are shown how to register on the xaba platform. Thousands of youth registered on the system that connects employees to job-seekers during a three day Job-Fair at the Machakos People’s Park. STEPHEN MUTHINI |
What you need to know:
- Event, which started on Friday and ends today, saw some get hired on the spot
- Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore said most people lacked jobs because they didn’t know the opportunities available.
Thousands of job-seekers turned up at the People’s Park in Machakos on Saturday to register their details with the County Government and stand a chance of getting job offers.
The job-seekers who comprised mostly youths got an opportunity to register with Seven Seas Technologies xaba platform which is run in conjunction with Safaricom.
Speaking at the event Governor Alfred Mutua said the county had unemployment rate of over 40 per cent, adding that the problem of unemployment required innovative solutions.
“This is the time to give hope to our youth. We all have to join hands and do something about it,” said Governor Mutua. He said the solution to unemployment was not to shout about it at political rallies but to come up with tangible action.
“We saw a gap between job-seekers and employers and decided to create a digital platform for the two to meet,” said Seven Seas Executive chairman Mr Wanjuki Muchemi.
Mr Wanjuki directed that three people who had registered with the platform to be employed by his company. The three will be selected at random by the technical team.
Safaricom, on the other hand, offered to employ 15 people.
A Tours and Travel company which had attended the event also interviewed 10 job-seekers out of which two will be employed next week.
Seven Seas Director Michael Macharia said the platform will not only give a chance to young people to get white-collar jobs but also blue-collar jobs like plumbing and masonry.
Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore said most people lacked jobs because they didn’t know the opportunities available. “It’s not about the university education, it’s about the opportunities. This platform will connect you to the opportunities,” said Mr Collymore.
The three-day event saw thousands of youths from various parts of the country converge at the park. The county government was overwhelmed by those seeking employment as health workers. Some lucky job-seekers were offered jobs on the spot.
Ms Grace Nzioka could not hide her joy after securing a job with Seven Seas after Governor Mutua made the request. The 27-year-old graduate of Information Technology said she had been looking for a job since 2007.
