This archive report was first published on 4 October 2021.
Unemployment in Kenya continues to affect the youth population, with many struggling to find stable employment. For Kioko Musiuki, a graduate of the Technical University of Kenya (TUK), this struggle is all too real.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke on October 4, 2021, Musiuki shared his story of how he went from being a construction worker to a matatu tout after losing his formal job in Nairobi.
After leaving high school in 2011, Musiuki worked as a construction worker in 2012 to raise money for upkeep and save for his school fees when he enrolled at TUK to pursue a Degree in Engineering. However, life in the construction industry became unbearable after the Westgate incident, and he opted to switch to the matatu industry.
"I started working in the Matatu industry in 2012. I left high school in 2011. I started working in construction in 2012 but life was tough after the Westgate attack. I later joined another site and raised money to get me through school. I joined in 2014 (at TUK). "When I finished school, life was still tough and I returned to the industry. I joined Baba Dogo Matatu Sacco as a conductor which I have been working as a conductor till to date," he stated.
Despite securing an entry-level position at a local company in 2020, the pandemic forced the company to mandate its workforce to work from home, and Musiuki lost his job alongside his colleagues. He has since returned to Baba Dogo Sacco to make ends meet.
"I made countless applications. I always applied for jobs in all opportunities I got. I made applications until I got to the elastic limit," he added.
Survival in the industry can be tough due to extreme fluctuations, with daily earnings sometimes sinking as low as zero. The pandemic has also had a significant impact on the matatu sector, shrinking Musiuki's earnings.
"This job is just like any other business, it does not have a fixed income. There are days I left with no income in a day. The job is very difficult because people are usually in different moods. It is like serving a community," he observed.
With over five million people losing their sources of income due to the pandemic by the end of 2020, and 740,000 individuals having lost their jobs in 2021, Musiuki's story is a stark reminder of the struggles faced by many in Kenya's job market.
