Official Government statistic reports indicate that in 2024, Kenya’s youth unemployment rate stood at 11.9 percent, reflecting a slight drop from 12.01 percent in 2023. While this decrease appears promising on paper, the reality for many young people in the country remains deeply troubling.
To emphasise the magnitude of this problem, the World Bank reports that nearly 75 percent of Kenyans under the age of 35 face limited access to meaningful job opportunities.
The above statistics point not only to the shortage of available jobs but also to the need for stronger interventions that both create employment and equip youth with practical skills.
Despite completing their studies at universities and colleges, many graduates remain unemployed, triggering frustration among the youth, parents, and community leaders.
Migori County comes in handy as a case study on the acute unemployment streak that spread across all the forty-seven devolved units in Kenya. A growing number of young people in the county are finding themselves stuck between qualifications and fewer jobs available, raising concerns over the future of an entire generation.
Multiple interviews carried out in the Migori region revealed that a majority of unemployed youths feel abandoned by both the government and society. All the youths interviewed expressed anger that although they possess good grades from universities and colleges, getting a job has become nearly impossible without personal connections or having a strong political connection.
“Even opportunities meant to empower the youth are often inaccessible unless one knows someone influential in office,” said one Peter Otieno, a resident of Rongo town.
One of the recurring issues mentioned was the role of corruption in limiting job access. Youths claimed that some employers expect bribes before offering employment.
In other cases, job seekers are allegedly asked to provide sexual favours to secure positions, a practice that has introduced fear, demoralisation, and trauma among the young people.
These revelations have made young people lose hope. They feel afraid and discouraged.
Beyond corruption, the oversupply of graduates in specific courses has also been blamed for escalating unemployment.
According to several respondents, many students are enrolled in the same programmes, which has led to overcrowding of similar skills in the job market.
As a result, the few job vacancies available attract high competition, often disadvantaging qualified individuals who lack money to secure employment, explained 39-year-old George Mayaka, who still remains unemployed, two years after graduating from Moi University.
Some youths pointed to the delayed retirement of older employees in government offices as a major problem. They argued that those who have reached retirement age should leave offices to allow the younger generation to take up public service roles.
Without this generational shift, young professionals would continue to be locked out of regular jobs, regardless of their qualifications, it emerged during a talk with a number of university graduates in Migori town.
A number of these unemployed graduates reported that they have turned to boda boda business or surrendered to become casual labourers on construction sites to enable them to eke out a living for their families.
“We are disappointed that despite our academic investment, our current occupations do not reflect the value of our degrees or diplomas,” said Liza Joy Akinyi, a procurement graduate from Multimedia University. Akinyi said that most of them are struggling with depression due to prolonged unemployment, which has affected their mental health and self-esteem.
This has made it difficult for those who do not have political connections to find work. Many of them come from poor families and cannot afford to pay bribes. They are left struggling, even though they are educated and qualified.
Despite all the predicaments facing the youths, community leaders encouraged the them to start their own businesses.
“There is the need for young people to apply for government loans that can help them start small businesses in order for them to be self-employed,” advised Mr John Oreyo.
Oreyo, a resident of Uriri Sub-County, noted that the young people should think of uniting to form groups that would enable them to qualify for group loan programmes.
But the majority should learn the importance of embracing vocational skills and jua kali jobs. They should move away from the mindset that only white-collar jobs are worth pursuing, said Mr Oreyo, himself a father to two unemployed graduates.
Parents who spoke during the interviews expressed deep concern and sadness over the current massive unemployment situation in Migori and the entire country.
Mr William Kentatta from Sagero village in Suna West sub-county said that parents sacrifice in educating their children, hoping that this would secure a better future for both the children and their families.
However, the prolonged joblessness among graduates has left many parents feeling disappointed and helpless. Some noted that their children had turned to drug abuse out of despair, further compounding the problem.
Other parents appealed to the youth not to give up, advising them to be persistent in their job search and be open-minded about alternative sources of income. There was also an urgent call for the government to clean up employment processes and ensure transparency in recruitment to restore faith among job seekers.
Migori County labour officer John Mwangi asked colleges and universities to work towards reviewing the country’s higher education curriculum, saying there is a mismatch between what is taught in schools and what the job market demands.
“Institutions of higher learning need to collaborate more closely with industries to align courses with practical employment opportunities,” said the labour official.
The high number of jobless youths in Migori County shows a serious problem. Even though many are done with their education, they are still left out because of corruption, politics, few job chances, a weak economy and unaligned course uptake among the learners, added Mwangi.
Dr Otieno Omollo, a lecturer at Rongo University, explained that young people want fairness, support and a chance to allow them to build their communities.
“If the system is not fixed and jobs are not given fairly, Migori County will lose many young people due to mental illness, drug use and poverty,” Dr Omollo stressed.
Meanwhile, the youths are now asking for real change. They want to be given power, not pity. They want to be part of the solution, not to be left out in the cogs driving Kenya’s economy.
By Addah Awuor and George Agimba
