Africa-Press – Kenya. Former Cheranganyi MP Wesley Korir has called on President William Ruto to intervene and address the high rates of unemployment in the country. The ex-legislator expressed concern over the number of jobless Kenyans in the country after a school he sponsors in his constituency advertised for eight slots but received close to 1,000 applications.
“Going through the applications for the teaching vacancies we advertised, I am made aware first-hand of the unemployment problem in Kenya. For 8 spots we are looking for we have close to 1000 applicants,” the former MP said.
“Please President William Ruto, try to figure out how to solve this pandemic,” Korir said in a social media post. Available official data shows that the unemployment rate in Kenya has been on an upward trend over the years.
It stood at 5.74 per cent in 2021, a 0.01 per cent increase from 2020 where it was at 5.73, a 0.72 per cent increase from 2019. Besides raising concern over the unemployment rate, the former Boston Marathon winner called for a paradigm shift in Kenya’s curriculum.
He said the current curriculum appears to be churning out more graduates for white-collar jobs than those equipped with technical skills. The former lawmaker said this has created a gap in the job market as there is low-skilled labour in the market.
“In this process, there is also something I have noticed that I think as a country we need to think seriously,” Korir said.
“During the construction of the school, it has been very difficult to find qualified, masonry, plumbers and work people especially in Cherangany, most don’t have papers.
“But when it comes to teachers or other white collar jobs I have too many. Maybe it is time to refocus on the kind of education we have our kids study. There is a huge gap that if thought about wisely can help solve the unemployment issue,” he said.
The Kenya Kwanza administration has under its manifesto ‘The Plan’ said that it will prioritise TVET training to help curb youth unemployment. In the manifesto, Ruto stated that he will build a fully equipped Technical Training and Vocational Education Training Institution (TVET) in each of the remaining 52 constituencies within the first two years.
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