The government is rolling out bold and strategic initiatives to tackle Kenya’s bulging youth unemployment crisis, President William Ruto has said.
The President noted that the country has not had a deliberate and intentional plan to create jobs for far too long.
Speaking during the International Youth Day celebrations in Kakamega County on Tuesday, he cited the Affordable Housing Programme, construction of modern markets, labour mobility, digital economy, ClimateWorx, business support and access to credit and grants as some of the initiatives expanding opportunities for young people.
“The single biggest problem among young people is unemployment and lack of opportunities,” he said.
At the event, President Ruto presented cheques worth KSh163 million to support 816 young people who have successfully secured jobs abroad through the Labour Mobility Programme.
He also launched the “Kuna Form” portal that will make it easy for young people to access business opportunities in government.
Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa, Cabinet Secretaries Salim Mvurya (Sports and Youth Affairs) and Wycliffe Oparanya (MSMEs) were present.
President Ruto said 161,000 housing units are under construction as part of a 700,000 homes’ pipeline expected to generate more than one million jobs.
He explained that about 320,000 people are already working in the Affordable Housing Programme, with the number set to double in the next two months.
“We have deliberately chosen housing as one of the main engines of job creation in Kenya today,” he said.
He also announced that the government has advertised 4,000 internship positions for young professionals in the building and construction sector, with a target to place 10,000 interns in the Affordable Housing Programme by January 2026.
Through the ClimateWorx programme, the President said 45,000 young people are working in the Nairobi Rivers Regeneration project and turning riparian areas into green corridors.
He said the programme is also being rolled out in all counties through an expanded roadworks programme, which will grow the ClimateWorx workforce to 113,000.
Additionally, President Ruto said the Kandarasi Mtaani initiative will employ a further 200,000 young people in labour-intensive works in housing and market projects.
On the digital front, he said the government has expanded fibre optic coverage by 24,000km, installed 1,494 public Wi-Fi hotspots, completed 316 digital hubs with 404 more underway, trained 1.9 million youth in digital skills, and enabled 300,000 to secure online jobs.
President Ruto also explained that the government is expanding labour mobility through the Global Labour Mobility Strategy.
He said that in the past two and a half years, 420,000 Kenyans have secured jobs abroad under the Kazi Majuu programme, supported by labour bilateral agreements with various countries, including Germany and the United Arab Emirates, among others.
The President pointed out that, through business support and mentorship, including financial literacy training, affordable credit and grants, and public procurement opportunities reserved for the youth, the government is nurturing successful youth-run businesses.
On the Hustler Fund, he said it has become one of Kenya’s most transformative financial inclusion initiatives, reaching more than 26 million Kenyans and disbursing KSh72 billion while mobilising KSh5 billion in savings.
He added that Uwezo Fund has financed travel costs for 225 youth in its pilot phase, while the Youth Enterprise Development Fund has enabled 2,271 young people to secure international jobs by providing the youth with soft loans to pay for the necessary travel requirements.
The Kenya Youth Employment Opportunities Project, which has reached 310,000 beneficiaries, will be succeeded by the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) Project.
“NYOTA aims to train 600,000 young people on accessing government tenders, support 110,000 entrepreneurs, and provide start-up capital of KSh50,000 to 100,000 young people nationwide,” he said.
The President said the Kenya Jobs and Economic Transformation Project will support 42,000 enterprises and 600 clusters, while the Youth Entrepreneurship Investment Bank will be launched this year with KSh9.75 billion seed capital to finance and build youth enterprises.
Citing Technical and Vocational Education and Training as crucial to jobs in the 21st Century, President Ruto said investment in the sector has seen enrolment grow from about 180,000 learners in 2018 to more than 700,000 today, supported by an increase in institutions from about 50 a decade ago to more than 250 now.
He explained that through the National Government Apprenticeship Opportunities (NGAO) programme, the Government aims to enrol two million young people in TVET institutions in the short-term.
He pointed out that this will help meet the projected annual demand of 300,000 skilled workers and close a skills gap of up to 40 per cent in some technical fields.
Governor Barasa commended government efforts in creating jobs for the youth, noting that they are the majority in the country.
He also appreciated government support in upgrading Bukhungu Stadium, Kakamega Level 6 Hospital, the Affordable Housing Programme, and universal healthcare, which are transforming the region and the country.
“We appreciate all this because this is work that has not been done before,” he said.
Mr Oparanya urged young people to take advantage of opportunities made available by the government to build a strong foundation for their careers.
Mr Mvurya said the government has created deliberate, strategic and innovative policies and programmes to empower the youth.
“For these opportunities to be beneficial, we urge our young people to be proactive,” he said.
He also called on the youth to maintain peace and abide by the rule of law, pointing out that no one can thrive in an environment of lawlessness and chaos.
“If anyone uses you to cause violence, please know you are not advancing your dream, you are helping others to advance their dreams,” he said.