There has been a worrying trend of public servants who are awarded jobs whenever the government conducts mass recruitment for short term exercises. Examples of such opportunities include the IEBC General Election jobs or the oncoming Kenya National Bureau of Statistics Census jobs.
Teachers in public schools and lecturers have received the full brunt of angry youths who have blasted them for competing with them to get the positions which the youths firmly state belong to them. Reports of public servants applying for August leave in order to apply for the 2019 Census jobs have left many with much to say.
Kirinyaga Governor, Ann Waiguru also vented her worries on this issue and urged the government to award the unemployed youths the oncoming census jobs scheduled to happen in August 2019.
Speaking at a youth ambassadors' sensitization forum, the governor noted that it would be unfair to offer the contracts to employed individuals yet there are millions of jobless youths.
"Transient opportunities such as the Census can keep the youth actively engaged in nation-building, even as the government works on long-term plans to put more of them to work," Waiguru spoke.
She further divulged into the details of how any society that sidelined the youth would be doing itself a great disservice.
“The youth are the pillars of any society, and an empowered youth invariably translates to a strong economy," she added.
Kenya National Statistics Bureau advertised for a total of over 150,000 job vacancies with three categories. The first category is for the ICT supervisory docket which has 2,700 slots available with a pay of Ksh 3,000 per day for 30 days, giving one a total of Ksh 90,000 in a month.
The second category is for the content supervisors which has 27,000 vacancies with a pay of Ksh 2,500 per day for 23 days earning one a total of Ksh 57,500.
The last category of enumerators has 135,000 positions with a pay of Ksh 1,500 per day for 16 days, earning one Ksh 24,000 for the job.
Though the bureau may prefer experienced professionals for supervisory roles, the governor said it would be prudent for enumerator positions to be reserved for inexperienced, jobless youths who are in dire need of work experience and income.
A section of irked Kenyans have taken to social media asking the government to ensure that the youths get the jobs and not the public servants.
