In the dusty Bogeka Village in Kitutu Chache South, Kisii County, Oliver Mogesi walks from the farm where she had gone to fetch green fodder to feed their cow.
For the last four months, this has been her daily routine. Oliver who graduated with a Bachelor’s degree of Science in Business Information Systems from Jaramogi Odinga Odinga University in 2019 has been tarmacking for the last four years in search of an internship or job opportunity without success.
“Nimejaribu kutafuta kazi, nimetembea Nairobi, nimejaribu kuapply za online lakini bado sijapata. Nikijaribu kutembea kwa maofisi naambiwa hakuna vacancy niche karatasi zing wakipata opportunity watanipigia,” she says.
We first met her during a job recruitment exercise at G4S offices in Embakasi Nairobi in June where over 2,000 jobless Kenyans from different parts of the country had flocked after the company advertised for more than 100 vacancies for package handlers.
She was among the thousands who missed the slots.
“Nikiwa Nairobi katika kutembea kwangu kutafuta kazi niliingia kwa kampuni fulani nikafanya kwa siku mbili walikuwa wanalipa kila siku nikafanya siku mbili alafu kuendea pesa nikapewa 40 kwa siku mbili wakanivunja moyo ikabidi nirudi nyumbani Kisii nilishe ngombe,” says Mogesi.
Her journey back home has not been a smooth one as the entire family looks up to her to find a job and improve their welfare.
Mark Mogesi, Oliver’s father, says “Nimejaribu kusomesha yeye kutoka Primary hadi University amefika University nikafikiria atakuja kukokoa sisi kama sisi wazazi tumesumbuka kumsomesha, wengine wako sasa mpaka tumeona matarajio yetu haijafikia kikomo.”
Oliver’s father worked as a security guard for over 20 years to raise school fees to ensure his children get the best education.
“Huyu mtoto tumejaribu kutuma yeye Nairobi atafute kazi anaenda anajaribu anarudi anatuambia hakuna kazi, tumejaribu kutafutia yeye hapa Kisii hata Kisii imeshindikana hajapata kazi, kwa hivyo sisi tumekaa tumeambia yeye akae avumilie tumejaribu kumcounseelor kwa sababu hii kazi amesoma ni kazi ngumu,” he says.
The family is now pleading with both the national and county governments to initiate programmes which will help youth secure jobs as unemployment crisis is leading thousands to depression.
“Serikali ianzishe miradi ya kuemploy vijana kwa sababu vijana kama sisi hatuna namna hatujui watu wakubwa maskini tunateseka sana hapa nyumbani so wanafaa hata waanzishe hata makampuni hapa mashinani mahali tunaeza ajiriwa pia sisi,” says Ms Mogesi.
Naom Moraa, Oliver’s Mother, says “Simba Arati please saidia watoto hata wanakuwa na stress nyumbani wengine wanajinyonga hata huyu anakara na stress anasema hata wenye hawakusoma ni afadhali, hata tuliuza kashamba watoto wasome sasa tunakaa bila kitu.”
Oliver is among thousands who for the last six months have attended three highly publicised job opportunities.
Apart from the June 16th incident where over 2,000 unemployed Kenyans turned up at G4S offices for the package handlers job, the second incident was on September 18th when thousands of former National Youth Service officers and ordinary jobless Kenyans thronged the Embakasi Garrison in Nairobi ahead of KDF recruitment.
Two months ago on October 28th when a Nairobi- based recruitment agency advertised 1,500 job openings, over 5,000 job seekers from across the country lined up to get shortlisted for the jobs ranging from cleaners, drivers, waiters and house managers.
The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics has put the figure of the unemployed Kenyans at 2.97 million a number which is on the rise as the cost of living and additional taxes have led to job losses in the last one year.
In the 2019 National Census, the number of unemployed Kenyans stood at 2.7 million with the most affected group being youth between the ages of 20 – 29 years.
Kenyans residing in urban areas are more affected than their counterparts in rural areas. In the survey, 4.8 percent of graduants were among unemployed Kenyans.
