Kiambu Hosts Inaugural Youth Employment Summit to Tackle Local Job Disparities

KIAMBU — Over 400 young people gathered in Kiambu for the county’s first youth employment summit, a concerted effort to address local unemployment and explore new vocational avenues. This initiative was organized by the Department of Youth Affairs and Sports along with the County Governance Watch (CGW) to foster solutions for the socio-economic challenges facing Kiambu’s youth.

According to Kenya News Agency, Director of County Governance Watch, the summit focused on the skewed distribution of job opportunities, often favoring individuals from outside the county, which has significantly contributed to local youth unemployment. “The issue has exacerbated substance abuse among the youth, prompting the need for this summit,” Osido explained. He emphasized that the summit aimed to create a dialogue between employers and county government representatives to address these disparities and formulate collaborative strategies.

The summit featured discussions on enhancing sectors such as digital technology, entrepreneurship, the green economy, and trade and investments. The County Executive Committee Member for Youth Affairs and Sports, Osman Korar, highlighted the summit’s goal to develop an action plan to address these issues systematically. “Following the discussions, we aim to outline and implement an action plan to tackle the unemployment problem effectively,” Korar stated.

The event saw participation from over 80 employers and included a panel comprising government officials, community leaders, educational institutions, and civil society organizations, with representatives from the University of Nairobi, JKUAT, MKU, PAC, Zetech University, and others. Panelists focused on ensuring comprehensive solutions to questions raised by attendees, clarifying the roles of youth in employment, academia’s role in youth empowerment, and employer expectations.

Attendee Susan Makana voiced a common sentiment among her peers, stressing the importance of such forums for empowering youth and expanding their professional networks. “Unemployment remains a significant challenge, and spaces like these are crucial for enabling us to find job opportunities,” she said, optimistic about the summit’s potential impact.

This initiative comes in the backdrop of the 2019 Kenya Census findings, which highlighted Kiambu as one of the counties with the highest unemployment rates nationally, contributing to the broader issue affecting 2.7 million Kenyans.