This archive report was first published on 3 September 2019.
On September 3, 2019, the government announced a welcome initiative to address the acute youth unemployment in the country. The Public Service Commission (PSC) has made available 3,000 internships in the civil service, a move that could ease the employment crisis in the sector.
According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, seven million Kenyans, or 70 per cent of the country's youth, are jobless. This is a damning characteristic of the country, especially in urban centres and rural areas where able-bodied citizens cannot find gainful employment.
The PSC has assured that the recruitment process will be fair, and every Kenyan will have an equal opportunity to take advantage of the vacancies. The gender question has become a serious subject of debate, and the PSC must ensure that both men and women benefit from the internship programme.
The government has allocated Sh1 billion to roll out the internship programme, which is expected to ease the employment crisis in the civil service with some 60,000 workers scheduled to retire in 2020. The publicity surrounding the programme is commendable, as it alerts all those eligible to try their luck.
We wish this civil service gesture could be emulated by other government agencies, organisations, and the private sector. Getting internships for young graduates has become a tall order, and the period assigned often ends before some of the young people can get opportunities to experience the world of work and begin honing their skills for the job market.
