This archive report was first published on 15 May 2020.
Kenya's economic prospects for 2020 have taken a hit, with the World Bank predicting a 1.5% growth rate, down from the initial 6.2% estimate made by Central Bank Governor Patrick Njoroge at the beginning of the year.
However, for the Kenyan youth, who make up 70% of the population, these numbers are of little consequence. Despite last year's 5.9% economic growth, a third of all young people eligible for jobs were jobless, with the majority working in the informal sector.
President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy, William Ruto, have been criticized for directing young people to the Jubilee portal, where they would supposedly find jobs created by the government. However, the job market has been shrinking since 2012, and the cities are becoming uninhabitable even for their inhabitants.
Companies are shutting down, and others are retrenching, making it clear that the cities are no longer a sure source of income for migrants from rural areas. Nairobi, Kisumu, and Mombasa are no longer the promised land.
Devolution is being touted as a solution, with counties like Kitui, Makueni, Meru, Embu, and Nyandarua offering opportunities for value-addition factories or start-ups. These forgotten counties might be the new Canaan for the Kenyan youth.
But even as the youth restructure their lives, there is a growing realization that it's time for them to take charge. They make up 70% of the population, and democracy is the rule of the majority. It's time for the youth to stop being sold for agendas and become the agenda themselves.
