By: Mary Mathenji
For centuries, unemployment has been like a thorn pricking on the flesh especially among the youth. From developed to developing countries millions of youths remain jobless despite most of them being educated. This is a threat to the overall economic growth of any nation and it lags development behind.
Kenya, being among the most affected countries has adversely suffered due to unemployment. Thousands of students graduate from universities and colleges annually. However, only a few of them manage to secure employment and the rest end up employing themselves or rendered jobless completely. There is this notion that ‘without connections, you can’t secure a job in Kenya.’ This implies that you have to know ‘someone’ who knows ‘someone’ to connect you to a particular job.
Thousands of potential youths have succumbed to depression and others contemplated suicide. After studying tirelessly in school only to end up jobless, most of them have given up with life since their future seems bleak.
Politicians are not left behind and they have taken the issue of joblessness to lure youths into electing them into office. Especially during this campaign period, most politicians promise the youth of creating employment opportunities to them if they elect them. However, all these promises are forgotten once they get into those positions.
All in all, there are some youths who have decided to curb this problem. Some have started small enterprises which thrive day by day. However, these youths are faced by several challenges such as high license fees, lack of capital, high interest rates on loans, harassment by government officials such as ‘kanjus’, lack of market for their products and services among others.
The government should therefore come to their aid by granting them loans with low interest rates, providing an enabling environment for them and even sourcing markets for the products produced by these youths so as to encourage them. The government can also put strategies that ensure grants and loans such as the Youth Fund and Uwezo Fund are distributed fairly and according to ones’ needs.
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