This archive report was first published on 26 July 2019.
On July 26, 2019, a story emerged about Kelvin Ochieng', an actuarial science graduate with a first-class honors degree, living in a slum. This is a stark reminder of the challenges faced by young Kenyans who have worked hard to achieve academic success.
The government's failure to provide opportunities for graduates like Ochieng' is a great embarrassment. If anyone can help him pursue a master's degree in an Ivy League university in the US, it would be a great opportunity for him to tap into the global economy.
However, the narrative that there are no jobs for graduates is a tired and threadbare cliché. It is often peddled by those who have not achieved much in life and are now discouraging young people from pursuing their dreams.
A Facebook post by a certain 'CEO' claimed that 'THERE ARE NO JOBS.' This is a flawed argument that promotes a culture of ignorance and mediocrity. It is not the graduates who are entitled, but the society that has no regard for education.
As someone who respects people who have achieved a lot in life without an education, I must emphasize that education is good. A good or quality education is better. Quality education coupled with shrewdness and a business instinct is the best.
Instead of demeaning education and discouraging graduates from focusing on their areas of interest, we need to ask ourselves how we are contributing towards ending the state of unemployment. Rather than imploring graduates to take up menial jobs, we should ask ourselves what we have done to ensure the next generation of graduates do not suffer the same fate.
Ms. Chege is the director of the Innovation Centre at the Aga Khan University Graduate School of Media and Communications.
