PHOTO | BD GRAPHIC
By SANDRA CHAO-BLASTO, schao@ke.nationmedia.com
In Summary
- Young people are deeply troubled over rising levels of joblessness and are seeking opportunities to access capital, set up businesses and engage in productive ventures.
A majority of Kenyan youth say they have not benefited from the government-initiated projects, a new survey shows.
Despite the billions of shillings the Jubilee and Kibaki
governments have injected into youth projects, the Kenya Youth Report
shows 76 per cent say they have not benefited and 58 per cent have no
knowledge of the programmes.
“When around 70 per cent say they have not
benefited from government initiatives, we need to look at the methods of
disbursement for these funds, who they are targeting and structural
barriers that might be hindering access,” said Dr Alex Awiti, the
Director of East African Institute which surveyed the youth.
The choosy Generation Y has proved to be one of the most complex group to understand in terms of expectations and preferences.
The Kenya Youth Survey Report 2015 highlights the
dilemma the government faces in winning the generation game and catering
for the needs of a group whose desire is entrepreneurship to make quick
money and with high tolerance for corruption and tax evasion.
The survey shows more young people are going into
entrepreneurship, but Dr Awiti says this is a last resort option after
failure to get a job rather than a cohesive way of making a living.
According to the survey, a university graduate has
50 per cent chance of getting than 20 per cent of starting a business.
Dr Awiti said many of the youth groups going into self-employment quit
once they secure formal jobs.
“The youth are not inherently entrepreneurial, if
we simplified the processes and pre-qualification requirements and
eligibility you are likely to have more young people benefiting from the
funds,” he said.
For a long time, young people have been thought to
be a homogenous group with projects tailored with one-size-fits-all
approach. But as Kenya moves to a knowledge-based work force, focus
will shift to tailoring youth projects for a tech-savvy generation.
Most of those interviewed said they would like to
pursue careers in engineering, law, medicine and teaching. Only 11 per
cent would go into farming.
‘‘A well-educated population comes with high
expectations for labour participation and a high quality of life,’’
notes the Kenya Youth Report Survey.
The working-age population is expected to increase,
but the job growth is not keeping up. A Talent Report released last
April indicates that of the 50,000 graduates leave Kenyan universities
yearly, but only half of them are absorbed into the job market.
Last year, the National Youth Service said it had engaged 70,000 youth and paid Sh471 daily for work done.
In 2009, the Kazi Kwa Vijana programme was launched
to employ urban and rural youth in labour-intensive public projects
like road maintenance and waste collection.
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