The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga now says he has a master plan to fix the country's perennial challenge of unemployment especially among the youth.
Raila, who is eyeing the country's presidency under Azimio la Umoja Movement argues that there is a huge mismatch between skills and market demands, which render most graduates irrelevant after years of class work.
He regretted that many young people are only in possession of academic documents which are not useful as the number of jobless Kenyans continues to soar.
"We have so many young people who only possess academic papers. The Azimio administration will prioritize the acquisition of skills in addition to academic qualifications," stated Raila.
Odinga's remarks sparked mixed reactions from a cross section of Kenyans on Twitter. One Samuel Waithaka wondered how Raila had come to a conclusion about qualifications gap. "How do you know there's a mismatch between skill and market demand, while there's no market demand, youths have no opportunity to showcase their skills? What research was conducted and where? This is just another campaign line to lie to Kenyans to vote for you," stated Waithaka.
"This is untrue Mr. Odinga. There are no jobs in Kenya. Universities and colleges in Kenya produce competent graduates but the government has failed in creating jobs. For example, how can we end unemployment if Teachers’ Service Commission employs 2,000 teachers yearly? Posed @Edwin_oa
In his previous engagement in Nairobi, during his meeting with youths from the Mt. Kenya region, the former premier had promised to initiate value addition programs, through the private sector and agriculture industries, to help absorb the unemployed youths in the country.
During the Azimio La Umoja National Convention at the Kasarani Stadium on Friday, December 10, Odinga announced that he would focus on uplifting the living standards of all Kenyans and increase job market absorption.
According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, (KNBS), Kenya lost about 1.7 million jobs following the outbreak of the pandemic. KNBS report further highlights that that youth aged 20-24 are the most affected.
The government has implemented a number of economic stimulus packages, with the aim of encouraging business activity and growth, after the economy went into recession in 2020.
Unemployment has become a political agenda, with different formations crafting manifestos to address the challenge but to woo the youthful electorate. On his part, Deputy President William has been promising Kenyans that his regime will see an increase in the job opportunities across different sectors of the economy. With UDA's hustler narrative, Ruto seeks to empower the informal sector, which plays a key role.
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