Despite Kenya's economy's steady expansion, COTU Secretary General Francis Atwoli has issued a warning indicating that five million Kenyans are still unemployed, indicating that the growth has not been able to sustain jobs.
While delivering an address to the Plenary Session of the ongoing 113th Session of the International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva, Atwoli revealed that as businesses flourish and infrastructure projects multiply, five million Kenyans remain unemployed, with most workers stuck in the informal sector facing poor wages and job insecurity.
The SG warned that this trajectory of economic growth without job creation risks deepening inequalities, fueling frustration, and destabilising cohesion.
"Many working people today feel abandoned and unprotected. They have lost trust in institutions and no longer feel part of the societies in which they live," Atwoli stated.
According to Atwoli, one of the most pressing concerns is the growing informal workforce, which accounts for over 80 per cent of Kenya's working population.
Instead of securing stable, well-paying jobs, many Kenyans are forced into underpaid gigs, street vending, or manual labour with no protections such as health insurance, pensions, or job security.
Atwoli has blamed this situation for the mass labour migration, particularly witnessed in Kenya, where youths are migrating to Gulf countries in the hope of finding better opportunities.
''This is what has fuelled the rise in labour migration mobility of our youth to countries in the Gulf, Europe, and North America, often under poorly governed migration regimes,'' Atwoli said.
However, reports of worker exploitation, wage theft, and poor working conditions have increased, raising concerns about the protection of Kenyan labourers abroad.
Atwoli emphasised the need for stronger governance in labour migration, arguing that many Kenyans enter foreign job markets under poorly regulated agreements that fail to safeguard their rights.
He urged policymakers to implement better oversight mechanisms to prevent exploitation and ensure Kenyan workers receive fair treatment internationally.
In a recent report, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) alleged that Kenya's GDP will have grown to $132 billion (Ksh17 trillion) in 2025, higher than Ethiopia’s $117 billion, setting it to overthrow Ethiopia as East Africa's largest economy.
Consequently, one of President William Ruto's major promises during the campaigns was to create more jobs for Kenyans. So far, the president has alleged that the Kenya Kwanza government has created over 200,000 jobs through the affordable housing programme and an additional 110,000 jobs through the Kazi Mtaani programme.
Unfortunately, despite this progress, Kenya still struggles in the job sector.
