The increasing rate of unemployment in the country has attracted mixed reactions from Kenyans raising the question of who should take the blame for the apparent ticking time bomb.
The government has largely had its share of criticism over the lack of jobs for millions of youths getting into the job market every year.
According to critics, the government has failed to create an enabling environment for youths to be absorbed into the job market or better their lives through self-employment.
The conversation was recently ignited by a recent story aired on Citizen TV dubbed First Class Betrayal.
The story which centred on Kelvin Ochieng, an Actuarial Science first-class graduate from the University of Nairobi highlighted the plight of many jobless, yet qualified, graduates in the country.
Despite Ochieng being a top achiever, he ended up in the streets and at some point imagined suicide due to life frustrations.
A section of Kenyans, led by some leaders, blamed the likes of Ochieng’ for not being aggressive enough. Thousands of such graduates thronged social media to dismiss the claims.
Read: Jobless Graduate Stories Might be Planted by Corporates to Manipulate Jobseekers – Dr Wandia Njoya
To some, leaders in government who have failed to ’employ’ themselves, should be the last to castigate graduates for being jobless.
Following the developments, the Kenya Film and Classification Board boss Ezekiel Mutua was on Tuesday slammed by former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga for his recent remarks that youths should not just depend on university degrees, diplomas or certificates to survive in Kenya, but create jobs for themselves.
“We need to transition from the idea of holding papers and waiting for job interviews to creating the jobs ourselves, ” NTV tweeted Mutua’s remarks.
The moral cop was speaking during this year’s Nation Media Group Leadership Forum held at the University of Nairobi on Monday night.
The sentiments didn’t augur well with Mutunga who called on Mutua to lead the way.
“Lead the way, mjuaji!” Mutunga exclaimed.
Lead the way, mjuaji!
— Dr Willy M Mutunga, Chief Justice, Kenya (2011-16) (@WMutunga) July 29, 2019
Mutunga’s response came hours after a video of a Tanzanian legislator telling off his colleagues in Parliament for pretence went viral.
Read Also: Joblessness Is Not An Excuse To Default Helb Loan: Ringera
In the video, the lawmaker is heard condemning the MPs for insisting that the youth should practice self-employment, yet some of them had unsuccessfully tried the path, which is the main reason they are in parliament — enjoying public resources.
Here is the video:
Now this is a vocal MP in our neighbouring country Tanzania talking alot alot sense.Come to Kenya where our #MPigs are busy discussing allowances and pay rise,not even policies that will help in the fight against graft pic.twitter.com/dkzjPQbRMP
— JHILFIGER (@JBravinx) July 28, 2019
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