Give the youth some hope through employment

Youth in a political rally. The youth need to dispel the myth that unemployment means unproductivity. Look for ways to be productive daily. Enrol for a free online course, learn a new skill, volunteer, run errands. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Unemployment leads to poverty, and poverty crushes human dignity leading to loss of hope.

  • To deal with this loss, unemployed people turn to drugs and alcohol.

  • Crime rates increase, health issues like depression follow and eventually, unemployed youth begin to consider suicide.

Sam is 23, born and bred in rural Embu. He moved to Nairobi believing that he would be in a much better position to find a job. However, his lack of specialised skills and experience puts him at a disadvantage. But, Sam has skills and experience, only that they are not relevant in an urban setting. Having grown up around dairy cows, he is "sufficiently trained" in dairy farming. Upon further inquiry on why he hasn’t pursued dairy farming, he says that he moved to Nairobi to find work that would enable him to save enough money to buy four cows. Hope is all he has.

DIGNITY

Sam joins millions of Kenyans who are unemployed. Statistics show that one in every two Kenyans above the age of 18 is jobless. Work plays a central role in our lives. We spend up to 80 per cent of our waking hours at work. However, unemployment leads to poverty, and poverty crushes human dignity leading to loss of hope. To deal with this loss, unemployed people turn to drugs and alcohol. Crime rates increase, health issues like depression follow and eventually, unemployed youth begin to consider suicide.

How then do we deal with youth unemployment? First, the youth need to dispel the myth that unemployment means unproductivity. Look for ways to be productive daily. Enrol for a free online course, learn a new skill, volunteer, run errands. I got my first job while organising people to clean up a river in Nairobi. The organisation and people management skills I had acquired made me the best candidate for the job. Opportunity favours the prepared.

Two, we must be willing to put in the hard work. As a result of kickbacks, ‘tenderpreneurship’ and betting, the youth have forgotten the value of hard work. Three, whatever you find to do, work at it diligently.

KICKBACKS

Nonetheless, even with all that said, the best solution to unemployment is creation of jobs. A strong economic growth of 2-3 per cent can create 150,000 jobs. One of President Uhuru’s Big Four Agenda is to create 1.3 million manufacturing jobs by 2022. Details of how he will achieve this remain scanty.

Without this information, the private sector has no way to engage with the government to provide skills, equipment and opportunities to make this agenda a reality. The government must work on creating a conducive business environment to allow ease of starting, growing and maintaining successful businesses. For a country loud on entrepreneurship, there’s a lack of infrastructure, social services and access to capital that could help youth like Sam above. The recent 15 per cent tax on small businesses and subjection of basic commodities to VAT shows the government’s true heart on matters unemployment. Preparation plus opportunity equals success. If anything, work is a human right. Our youth need meaning otherwise, we are just a hopeless, idle and ticking frustration-bomb.

Ms Wanjohi is the founder, Mazingira Safi Initiative. [email protected]