The state of unemployment in Kenya remains a major concern for many. Millions of youths around the country are jobless and hopeless. And now, pressure is mounting on President William Ruto to declare unemployment, a national disaster.
According to a lobby group, the Public Eye Kenya, the head of state should take the bold step and make the declaration to address the situation, which they said was already out of hand.
In its report, The Public Eye Kenya Nyandarua Branch noted the number of unemployed youths was increasing rapidly.
At the same time, they raised concerns that cases of mental are also on the rise because of the desperation.
The lobby group’s Chairman Dr. Micheal Munene in an interview, stated that President Ruto should call out unemployment as a national crisis.
“Lack of unemployment among the youth is high. We ask President William Ruto to state it as a national disaster,” he stated.
Also, he requested that a committee be formed to help solve the crisis.
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“We will request a planning committee to be formed to discuss how the issue could be solved. The committee should come up with recommendations to the governments on the measures that should be followed to either end or tame the crisis,” he added.
Additionally, the group asked Ruto to tone down on taxes to allow more companies to create opportunities and hire more people.
Furthermore, they urged the Immigration Department of Kenya to facilitate Kenyans who want to work abroad.
“The government should set aside incentives to give to companies and individuals depending on how many employees they have.
The more the employees, the lesser the taxes,” Dr. Munene added.
Ruto Promise and Unemployment Statistics
Notably, President William Ruto during his presidential campaigns pledged to ensure that his government would allocate Ksh 100 billion to the youth empowerment program.
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“Youth unemployment is a national crisis, and we must put it as a priority. It is only by changing the economy that we will be able to employ more youth, and empower small businesses not changing the constitution,” he said then.
According to the World Bank, the unemployment rate in Kenya was 10.4% in 2022, up from 5.2% in 2021. This means that over 1.7 million Kenyans lost their jobs in 2022.
Similarly, according to the Kenya Economic Survey 2023, unemployment rate was highest among young people, with 36.6% of young people aged 15-34 unemployed in 2022.
The unemployment rate is also higher among women than men, with 11.9% of women unemployed compared to 8.9% of men.
Kenya is grappling with rising inflation, which has pushed the cost of living through the roof. According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, inflation rate for October 2023 stood at 6.9%.