Unemployment crisis revealed as job seekers flood KICC to fill Middle East vacancies

The grim face of unemployment in the country became clearer as thousands continued to flock to the KICC for 3,000 job opportunities abroad.

Job seekers were optimistic that they would secure positions in semi-skilled and menial jobs in the Middle East.

Citizen TV spoke to some of the job seekers, who represent the growing number of unemployed people in a country with a constricted job market.

Armed with his documents, Evans Nyakoya travelled overnight from Kisii and joined hundreds of job seekers at the KICC hoping to secure one of the jobs on offer in Qatar. But first, he had to clear the initial hurdle of proving he could travel outside Kenya, but he failed.

"They had told us to come even without a passport, but now they’re refusing," he lamented.

Evans, a trained driver, was hoping that a job in Qatar would pay more than the short contracts he has been intermittently taking up here in Kenya. Dejected, he left to resolve his passport issue.

Inside the grounds, hundreds awaited their chance to interview for jobs in the hospitality and service, construction, and technical fields. Stanley Mburu, a resident of Nakuru, also travelled to Nairobi specifically for this opportunity. He is a cleaner who recently lost his job and now desperately seeks employment.

"I trained as a cleaner, but when I got in line, I was told they’re not taking cleaners, so I decided to try my luck as a construction helper," Mburu said.

He says he cannot afford to be selective, as any job would help him provide for his family—much like hundreds of other job seekers here.

"I am a nurse, but I will do any job," Herbert Njoroge added.

Indeed, hundreds of thousands of Kenyans are unemployed. Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, as of December 2023, indicated nearly 3 million Kenyans are jobless, representing 5.7% of the population.

This number continues to grow, with the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE) estimating that one million unskilled young people enter the labour market each year.

Most of those not seeking work are between the ages of 20 and 24, as well as 25 and 29, and their efforts are hindered by a lack of work experience and a skills mismatch with available jobs. Maryanne Wamboi knows this struggle all too well.

"Looking for a job has become tough. They tell you to have 3 to 5 years of experience. Where are we supposed to get that if they don’t give us jobs?" Maryanne Wamboi stated.

"The government needs to look into this; otherwise, things will be bad for Gen Z," Njoroge added.

In response to this challenge, the government has been working to find solutions, both within and beyond its borders, including exporting labour.