The state of joblessness in the country continues to force many youthful Kenyans into desperate measures to earn a living and secure their future.
One such youth, Joseph Jonge, who is 4 months away from graduating with a master's degree, took his frustrations to Citizen TV where he narrated how he was forced to go into the streets to make ends meet.
Speaking on the night of Monday, February 24, the postgraduate student at Kenyatta University told the now all-familiar tale of Kenyans who excelled in academics but the job market could not absorb them all - he narrated how his many attempts to secure formal employment always ended with a rejection email.
"My name is Joseph Jonge, I'm a master's student at Kenyatta University. I am at an advanced stage of my thesis and I will be graduating in July.
"Currently, I'm a hawker at Muthurwa Market. Sometimes I also hawk in the streets of Nairobi because at times things go bad at the market. It is not that I go there because I want to. It is not that I have not looked for a job, I have been looking for it for quite some time," stated Jonge on Monday Report
He highlighted a common grievance among fresh graduates of being poorly connected in their industries, lacking referrals as entrenched cronyism.
"I looked for a job and realised there are no jobs. If you do not get anyone to connect you, you don't get anywhere to connect yourself. I tried business. I tried selling cookeries but then the government restricted second-hand goods. I tried clothing business but the economy is so harsh you get nothing.
"You are supposed to pay bills. You are supposed to pay the Higher Education Loans Board (Helb) loan, so you have to do anything you can to sustain yourself," he continued
He further explained that despite his qualifications seemingly setting him apart from his competition, they were not enough to secure him even an entry-level job - while explaining his surprise at being overtaken by candidates with lesser academic credentials.
"I went to two interviews, one last year and another one this year. Last year, after the interview, the secretary congratulated me telling me I had the highest qualification. In the end, a diploma guy was hired. In January, I went for an interview and a bachelor's degree guy was hired.
"I later realised that those in the job market are afraid of highly qualified applicants taking their jobs after some time. It is so painful because the parents invested in you for education and when they are ageing, you can't help them," he added
"The government is harsh when you start a business, there are so many things you are required to have yet as a start-up there are limited resources," Jonge concluded.
He studied for his bachelor's degree in Science and Mathematics from the University of Eldoret and now he is pursuing a Masters of Science in Biostatistics at Kenyatta University.
In the last six months, several companies have laid off their staff including Mediamax Network that owns K24 TV alongside several other companies ranging from retail to horticulture.
Two giant betting companies, in particular, closed shop in 2019 citing a hostile business environment.
In 2020, Tuskys Supermarket chain has announced mass firing of its employees with the trend projected to continue across industries.
“Currently I’m a hawker at Muthurwa market. Sometimes I also hawk in the streets of Nairobi. I have been looking for a job for a while now…” - Joseph Jonge, a Masters degree student at Kenyatta University #MondayReport pic.twitter.com/S9nQsE72VE
— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) February 24, 2020
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