In recent times, the escalating unemployment rate in Kenya has sparked concern among analysts and conscientious citizens alike. The ramifications of this growing issue, including the surge in rural-urban migration, an upswing in mortality rates, a surge in criminal activities, brain drain, the rise of prostitution and child trafficking, increased admissions to psychiatric hospitals, reduced payroll tax contributions, and even the emergence of insurgency, have woven themselves into the very fabric of Kenyan society.
As this complex problem festers, a plethora of solutions have been proposed at various junctures. Among these suggestions are streamlining the civil service, implementing an effective family planning system, bolstering youth empowerment initiatives, providing enhanced support to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), promoting agricultural mechanisation, nurturing industrial development and infrastructure, refining school curricula to emphasize practical skills, achieving a harmonious blend of local and expatriate labour in contracting work, and fostering a spirit of self-discovery and creativity among the nation’s youth.
However, a closer examination reveals a counterintuitive reality – a shortage of skilled workers. One can’t help but ponder why a nation with a police force numbering less than 250,000 officers tasked with safeguarding a populace of approximately 60 million is grappling with unemployment. This situation, it appears, is a puzzle that could be addressed by redeploying just a fraction of those police personnel into sectors facing manpower shortages. Even though Kenya is home to a large pool of unemployed graduates, particularly those with degrees in education and related fields, the education sector still cries out for a stronger numerical force of teachers.
Remarkably, over 7,000 Kenyan doctors have sought employment abroad, with many seeking opportunities in Europe, Saudi Arabia, and beyond. This puzzling trend reveals a gaping disparity – while we lament the shortage of doctors in Kenyan hospitals, a substantial number of qualified medical professionals from the country are contributing to healthcare systems elsewhere. Such a paradox!
Harking back to the village life of yore, Agricultural Extension workers once played an integral role in educating farmers about innovative agricultural techniques. Today, their presence is felt less frequently and with diminished vigour. Engaging a state director from the Ministry of Agriculture on this matter yielded a simple truth: insufficient manpower impedes the continuation of effective agricultural extension programmes. Given the pivotal role agriculture plays in ensuring food security and national development, the alarming unemployment rate in Kenya demands an end to the lamentation of inadequate manpower.
An insidious issue plaguing Kenya’s civil service is the presence of “ghost” workers, individuals who exist only on paper but drain resources and exacerbate unemployment. Addressing this concern requires concerted efforts from both national and county governments to eradicate these phantom employees. By identifying and purging these “ghosts,” the path will be cleared for genuinely qualified graduates and young individuals to secure meaningful employment. It’s astonishing that sectors like Kenya Customs, the military, and immigration are grappling with staff shortages while an ostensibly high 14 per cent unemployment rate persists.
In view of these alarming contradictions, the onus falls on various tiers of government to act promptly and resolve this paradox. The repercussions of inaction are already gnawing at the foundations of the national economy. In the face of such an imperative, it is only fitting for Kenyan society to channel its energy into addressing this challenge head-on. After all, it is in the darkest of hours that the brightest solutions are often conceived.
By Kelvin Nyamache: Diaspora Messenger Columnist/Contributor
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ซ, ๐๐ฒ๐น๐๐ถ๐ป ๐ก๐๐ฎ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ, ๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ป๐๐ฝ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฟ, ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฎ๐๐๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ, ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฎ ๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต. ๐๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ ๐ต๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐น๐-๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ป๐๐ฝ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฟ. ๐๐ฒ๐น๐๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐๐ฎ๐น๐, ๐ด๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฝ๐, ๐ฐ๐ต๐๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐, ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐ผ๐น๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ถ๐ณ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ ๐๐ผ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ๐๐ฒ๐น๐๐ฒ๐. ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ ๐ต๐ถ๐บ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐. ๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ป +๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต๐ด๐ด๐ด๐ต๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฌ.
Kenya’s Unemployment Paradox-Shortage Of Skilled Workers
