Alarming rate of unemployment in Mukuru

By chacha.

   

                                      

The number of unemployed youths in Mukuru slums is overwhelming.

They are scattered like grain in every corner of the slum with no idea of how to generate income or at least a sustainable long term employment.

“Some of us are university and college graduates but finding gainful employment has proved to be a hard nut to crack,” lamented John Kariuki a graduate from Kenyatta University in accounts and also an elected youth leader in Makadara constituency. 

According to current statistics, Kenya’s unemployment rate stands at 40%, 64% of whom are youths who constitutes 60% of Kenya’s estimated population of 40 million.

This literally means 16 million Kenyans have no means of income generation and that over 10 million are aged between 18 and 30 years.

 Roughly over 200,000 youths out of the 10 million unemployed in the country live in these Mukuru slums.

The reason why crime rate is high and keeps growing by day is self explanatory given the number of unemployed youths in the slums.

Cases of armed robbery, hijacking and kidnapping, rape, drugs and substance abuse, prostitution, robbery with violence and minor cases such as mugging, breaking and stealing are rampant here.

The elite in Mukuru slums attribute unemployment to slow economic growth and fault the government entirely for low overall job creation but again given the high population growth rate, it’s true that the labour market is unable to absorb all the new job-seekers from Mukuru slums and the entire country.

However what these residents seem to have forgotten is that the government is not entirely to blame.

“Most of the youths here seem to have lost a certain work ethic and yet desire the good things money brings while others desire white collar-jobs but are not qualified” explained Kung’u Kamau a hand-cart puller in Mukuru slums.

“Kazi ni kazi bora pesa (Any job is good provided it pays),” he added.

  The new constitution has proved there’s light at the end of the tunnel for the unemployed youth in Mukuru and the whole country.

With the new constitution, devolution takes power and resources back to the people. This will spur both creativity and innovation among Kenyans.

“The new constitution will encourage exploitation of the vast wealth in counties and in turn will have the desired effect of controlling rural-urban migration” advised Mr. Isaac Okumu an opinion leader in Makadara constituency.

According to Mr. Okumu wealth is no longer found in Central and Rift Valley areas. All the 47 counties have enormous potential for self-propelled growth especially the marginalized counties.

“Taita Taveta County has vast gemstones, there are commercial gold deposits in Kakamega and Migori counties, Kwale County is rich in titanium, and North Eastern is famous for its oil deposits while Kitui County is home to huge deposits of coal, iron ore and limestone. Kenya if well exploited is an economic sleeping giant if only proper planning, implementation, development and good leadership is practiced” he continued.

Mr. Isaac Okumu believes that transparent leadership in Kenya is a major problem. According to him President Kibaki has left an erasable mark in terms of infrastructure development and services, good roads, rural electrification and clean water and accessibility.

‘With so much development the rate of unemployment should fall but that is not the case. This can only explain one thing, that there are other underlying negative factors which prohibit employment among youths and lack of quality transparent leadership is a core factor” he concluded.

The unemployed youth in Mukuru slums are urging those lining up for various leadership positions particularly the presidency to improve the economy and create job-opportunities.

In other words our next president should be an economic expert with the ability to boost our economy for overall job creation.

Failure to heed the accelerated development call may land this country in an Egypt-Tunisia like youth revolution because youths are hungry and need employment. And like the wise say, a hungry man is an angry man.