The Government has hosted the Jamhuri National Job Fair, ahead of this year’s Jamhuri Day celebrations themed Jobs, Labour Migration, Entrepreneurship, and Entertainment, as a means to celebrate the gains towards liberation from endemic poverty through job creation and economic empowerment.
The Job Fair brought together various stakeholders, including government ministries, private sector players, international recruitment agencies, educational institutions, and job seekers as a unique way of celebrating Kenya’s independence, presenting innovative avenues for networking and connecting job seekers to employers and entrepreneurs.
Further, the Job Fair reflects the government’s commitment to economic empowerment, youth employment, and sustainable job creation through innovative avenues.
Speaking during a press briefing in Nairobi, Government Spokesperson Dr. Isaac Mwaura noted that the country stares at youth unemployment, with over 75 per cent of the population under 35 years.
“Due to this, there is an increasing need to explore diverse avenues for employment; that is why we are intentional about creating jobs at home (Kazi kwa ground) in the manufacturing sector, housing sector, and the creative economy, among others, facilitating digital jobs (Kazi mtandaoni), and seeking opportunities for Kenyans in the global labour markets (Kazi Majuu),” stated Dr. Mwaura.
According to the Spokesperson, the Government through the Locally (Kazi kwa Ground) initiative, targets to create 1,200,000 jobs annually between 2023 and 2027, with the bulk of the jobs to be created through the formalisation of the informal sector, with increased public investments in enabling infrastructure.
Additionally, he revealed that this will be achieved through the establishment of Special Economic Zones and Industrial Parks to promote local manufacturing.
Further, he pointed out that the manufacturing sector, which contributed 7.6 per cent to GDP in 2023, provides direct employment to 363,000 people while indirectly supporting countless livelihoods.
The Government Spokesperson also added that the jobs through the initiative will be achieved through raising agricultural productivity, where he noted that the subsidised fertiliser programme has seen productivity of foodstuffs in the country go up.
“For instance, all the sugar factories are now operational, producing 84,000 metric tonnes of sugar that are beyond the country’s demand. Coffee exports are projected to increase from 51,000 to 150,000 MT by 2027. This translates to more jobs in the sector and our key focus, agricultural value chains,” stated Dr. Mwaura.
On the other hand, he maintained that the Kenya Kwanza administration has achieved an unprecedented milestone in teacher recruitment, with a record 76,000 teachers recruited in two years.
Dr. Mwaura disclosed that the government has spent Sh37 billion towards this recruitment of 56,000 teachers on permanent and pensionable terms while 20,000 teachers are engaged on an internship basis.
“This aligns with the commitment we outlined in The BETA Plan, to bridge the teacher shortage gap, which we found to be over 116,000. The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) is one of the largest employers in the whole continent of Africa, currently managing a workforce of 410,258 teachers,” he emphasized.
Further, leveraging on the digital superhighway for online opportunities for the youth, the Government Spokesperson mentioned that the Digital ICT ecosystem that brings together cyber cafes, mobile device shops, and auxiliary businesses, among others, has created jobs and fostered wealth creation.
Dr. Mwaura insisted that the ripple effects created by the digitisation of government services through eCitizen have impacted on service delivery, improved lives, and opened new opportunities across the nation.
“The Climate WorX Mtaani initiative seeks to provide a source of employment to 200,000 Kenyans across the country, with each and every county having at least 1,500 beneficiaries,” he added, explaining that this approach creates jobs for the youth while undertaking climate action.
Contributing to the locally (Kazi kwa Ground) initiative, the Government Spokesperson stressed that the construction sector, through the affordable housing project, remains central to addressing the challenge of youth unemployment sustainably.
“In 2023, employment in the construction sector increased by 2.1 per cent, driven by public spending on housing projects, and already, the sector has created job opportunities for over 160,000 Kenyans,” he asserted.
On the facilitation of digital jobs (Kazi Mtandaoni), Dr. Mwaura said that a total of 149,000 Kenyans have been connected to online job opportunities, with over 490,000 already equipped with digital skills to exploit further opportunities.
He revealed that the government has operationalised 274 digital hubs and is collaborating with the Private sector to create 1450 other hubs in every ward.
Dr. Mwaura posited that the government is also expanding the last-mile fibre connectivity and Wi-Fi hotspots to facilitate more Kenyans to exploit the numerous opportunities in the digital sphere.
The continued investments in technology, according to Dr. Mwaura, are further creating a strong foundation for digital transformation, enabling Information Technology (IT) economy workers, young digital creators, and entrepreneurs to access opportunities, locally and globally, which has served to showcase Kenya’s ingenuity and innovation, with more Kenyan youth securing job opportunities abroad.
On seeking opportunities for jobs abroad (Kazi Majuu), the Government Spokesperson established that through the Whole-of-Government approach, efforts are underway to address labour mobility management, including workers’ access to opportunities at the global level.
“The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) is one of the largest employers in the whole continent of Africa, currently managing a workforce of 410,258 teachers. This is against a register of over 805,000 registered teachers, with those not employed by the government engaged in private practice in private institutions and mission schools while over 300,000 qualified and registered teachers remain unemployed,” he reiterated, noting that in recognition of this surplus of qualified yet unemployed teachers, the government is expanding international labour opportunities for Kenyan educators.
He highlighted that currently, Kenyan teachers are being considered for placement in 17 countries, with high demand for the country’s teachers in the United States, Ireland, Germany, South Africa, Thailand, and other nations.
Retrospectively, he recalled that in July this year, the Prime Cabinet Secretary, Musalia Mudavadi, flagged off the first cohort of Kenyan teachers to take up teaching roles in U.S. district schools, marking a significant step in Kenya’s teacher mobility initiative.
“Already, 105,367 Kenyans have secured opportunities in the professional, skilled, and unskilled sectors; in Canada, Australia, Bahrain, Oman, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, the Federal Republic of Germany, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar,” highlighted Dr. Mwaura, adding that these positions are in the health, agriculture, engineering, financial systems, ICT, and computer science sectors, among others.
Additionally, the Government Spokesperson cited the National Employment Authority (NEA), which is mandated to enhance access to employment for the youth, minorities, and marginalised groups and has a roll of over 560,000 job openings for qualified Kenyans locally and internationally.
He disclosed that the government is also finalising bilateral negotiations with other countries to expand its labour export market beyond its traditional destinations, with active negotiations in the sunset stages with Russia, Poland, and Jordan to open more doors of opportunities to Kenyans abroad.
By Michael Omondi
