ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo on Wednesday, July 5, claimed that Kenyans do not need permanent and pensionable jobs, especially from the government.
Appearing on the JKLive show, the ICT CS noted that Kenyans are focused on juggling up to three jobs instead of permanent roles.
The CS added that the government was laying down the necessary infrastructure to endure Kenyans to seize new opportunities in the tech sector.
Owalo reckoned that the State has already developed a plan to create over 1 million non-permanent jobs for young people.
“We are going to have a gig economy, which is a situation where you can be working for three different entities at the same time," he stated.
“It does not make sense anymore in this era of technology for somebody to be working for one individual under permanent and pensionable terms.”
The CS added that with the government’s intervention, Kenyans would be able to work for three different companies in one day.
He promised to work to have everything done on a digital platform, terming it a game changer.
On why he needed Kenyans to hold more than three-day jobs, Owalo explained that the move was to bring in more Kenyans to the income bracket.
“We have the potential of creating 1 million jobs through digital laboratories for the youth. We have had meetings with Members of Parliament and County Assemblies to set the digital labs at every ward,” Owalo explained his vision to tackle unemployment.
He noted that with the gig economy, MPs would not be running up and down in government offices lobbying for jobs for their electorate.
The CS further noted that the government will also partner with global companies so Kenyans can be working from home for foreign companies.
Cornered to explain if that was a pipe dream, the CS noted that the plan was already in operation and a digital lab launched in Kabete had enabled youth to earn Ksh200,000 through e-commerce.
A study conducted by Trends and Insights For Africa (TIFA) released on Tuesday, July 4, revealed that 38 per cent of Kenyans do not have a monthly income.
The survey which was conducted between June 24 and June 30, 2023, further revealed only 3 per cent of Kenyans earning above Ksh 50,001.
