‘We don’t have jobs for you': Gachagua tells graduates to venture into entrepreneurship

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has urged university graduates to venture into entrepreneurship since the government cannot guarantee enough jobs for all.

Speaking during the 40th Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) and the 9th Pan African University Institute for Basic Sciences Technology and Innovation (PAUSTI) joint graduation of 4,299 students in Kiambu County on Friday, Gachagua asked the graduates to be creative just as the government continues to roll out job creation programmes.

 “Mnasema mambo ya jobs? Hapo iko kibarua…I have told you that I’m an honest man. I don’t want to sit here and lie to you that we have jobs for you. We are going to create them with you,” he said.

“Iko kibarua…wengine mtapanga huko mbele na hao wengine mkuje tufaye biashara.”

As he challenged tertiary institutions to further evaluate the impact of their programmes, DP Gachagua called on the institutions to focus on market-oriented courses relevant to Kenyan economic needs because white-collar jobs have been shrinking annually.

He said the President William Ruto-led administration was preparing the ground to spur digital jobs. 

"We are laying the infrastructure; learning institutions must provide the requisite skills for the youth to become truly global workers even from the comfort of their village. Technology is here to shrink the global office into our palms,” he stated.

“We can only harness if we prepare students, not for passing examinations, but solving challenges for inclusive growth. This is through enhancing the capacity of the students in analytical thinking and creative skills."

Asking the graduates to venture into business, the Deputy President said there are many opportunities in entrepreneurship and they should use the skills acquired in school to better their lives.

"Be focused and a go-getter and let nobody discourage you. Do not listen to naysayers, prophets of doom and people who are jealous. Set your eyes on what you have in life and go for it. There is beauty in nurturing an idea and seeing it grow to fruition," said Gachagua.

He lauded the housing programme saying it would create jobs for various professionals in the construction industry just as the government is committed to addressing the rising unemployment.

"The National Assembly, for two nights, passed the Finance Bill, 2023 to, among other issues, crate housing fund to construct 200,000 houses annually. There will be architects, quantity surveyors, building engineers, electricians, and plumbers; there will be an opportunity to earn a living. Universities are the main beneficiaries," he said.

To address unemployment in future, the DP said the government is also deploying resources to the implementation of the Competence-Based curriculum for self-employability skills.

"Tertiary institutions must also adjust and adopt their model of education to not only meet the demands of the new system but also support the job creation market. Tertiary education can no longer be about graduation numbers or the prestige of their degrees, but the overall impact of their products - their students," he stated. 

He further noted that institutions of higher learning are central to the nation's development through research, technology, knowledge generation and transfer.

The Deputy President was accompanied by Cabinet Secretaries Ezekiel Machogu (Education) and Moses Kuria (Trade, Investments and Industry).