Causes of unemployment among youths in Kenya: A Case Study of Kitui County

INTRODUCTION
1.1Background of the Study
1.1.1 General Unemployment Situation In Kenya

In Kenya, the unemployment rate increased from 5.70 percent in the fourth quarter of 2023 to
4.90 percent in the fourth quarter of 2022. The Unemployment Rate in Kenya averaged 8.91
percent from 1991 until 2023, reaching an all-time high of 12.20 percent in the fourth quarter of
2009 and a record low of 4.70 percent in the second quarter of 2019. (KNBS,2019).

As per the KNBS (2007), the overall unemployment rate was 12.7 percent for the year
2005/2006 while the unemployment rate in urban areas was 19.9 percent and the rural areas was
9.8 percent. Out of this,57 percent of women and 86 percent were men aged 15-49 years were
found not to be employed. There was a spike in the number of employed women with the
increase in age to approximately 44 years before declining slightly for the age group 45-49 years
(KNBS&ICF Macro,2010).

In Kenya, the unemployment rate increased from 5.70 percent in the fourth quarter of 2023 to
4.90 percent in the fourth quarter of 2022. The Unemployment Rate in Kenya averaged 8.91
percent from 1991 until 2023, reaching an all-time high of 12.20 percent in the fourth quarter of
2009 and a record low of 4.70 percent in the second quarter of 2019. (KNBS,2019).

1.1.2 Youth Unemployment Situation In Kenya

Youth unemployment is one of the major problems facing Kenya today, for example, a 2023
policy brief by KIPPRA highlighted that the youth unemployment rate is significantly higher
than the overall unemployment rate in Kenya. Youth shall be defined as those between 18-35, as
described in the Kenya constitution, 2010. The youth constitute the largest and fastest-growing
portion of the population; over 75 percent is below age 35. But notwithstanding this
demographic dividend, unemployment among youth is reportedly high and a majority of the
youths either are unemployed or underemployed. According to the World Bank 2023 report, the
youth unemployment rate in Kenya surged from 12.08% in 2021 to 12.23% in 2023. The growth
of Kenya's economy is not yielding adequate productive employment. More than 800,000 youth
enter the job market every year. According to the last survey from the Kenya National Bureau of
Statistics, KNBS 2020, the number of new jobs created in Kenya in 2017, 2018, and 2019 was
520,000, 762,200, and 846,300, respectively. In 2019, it was estimated that 846,300 new jobs
were created. This is not even enough to solve the current problem at last year's growth rate past
two years due to a global recession coupled with the lockdowns due to COVID-19. The total
workforce in Kenya consists of 24.7 million people. In September 2020 the number of the total
number of employed shrunk to 15.9 million Kenyans from a higher 17.8 million in March 2020.
Youth are disproportionality affected by the impact of the economic downturn, to some extent
linked with COVID-19.

Based on the latest estimates, the country’s youth population is made up of over 9.5 million
people, more than 20 percent of all Kenyans. Kenya has currently faced with the opportunity and
challenge of a so-called ‘youth bulge ‘since the mid-1990s, with a peak in the mid-2000s when
nearly 22 percent of all Kenyans were between the ages of 15 and 24. Following the official UN
definition, this phenomenon occurs when more than 20 percent of a country’s population is
composed of young people who can be a valuable asset for both present and future generations
but, at the same time risk the development of social and economic conditions are not suitable”
(UNDP 2013). However, the absolute number of youths in Kenya continues to increase, from 6.8
million in 2000 to 9.5 million in 2015. This simply means that “the growth rate of this population
cohort is now smaller than the adult working-age cohort” (UNDP 2013).

Several factors could be attributed to high levels of unemployment among the youth in Kenya
today from a theoretical perspective. According to the Structuralism theory, Western education is
too weak a match in trying to provide young people with training for rarely available jobs.

source: World Bank 2023

1.1.2 youth unemployment trends in the East Africa community
EAC is the regional intergovernmental organization currently consisting of six countries, namely,
Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda, formed in 1999. In the EAC, the
unemployment status in each country differs the highest being in Rwanda with 14.93 percent,
followed by Kenya with 5.7 percent, Uganda with 2.831 percent, Tanzania with 2.61 percent, and
Burundi with 0.93 percent as of 2023 (ILO, world bank 2023). Though these figures are not
disturbing, they are believed to rise with the rise of population and education systems tuned
towards job seekers. The unemployment rate among the youth and, the quality, and quantity of
employment have also remained a source of grave concern in the region. Various governments
have pursued different kinds of initiatives to overcome these issues.

East Africa is a very youthful region. About 80% of the estimated 146 million East Africans
(excluding South Sudan), are below the age of 35 years. The median age ranges between 16 and
19 years, with the lowest median ages of 16 years and 17 years in Uganda and Tanzania
respectively. East Africa’s youth, defined as individuals between the ages of 14 and 35, are a
socially and economically significant majority and will determine and shape the region’s future
Edmund Burke (1729–1797). With this in mind, the East African Institute of the Aga Khan
University commissioned a survey to understand the values, attitudes, concerns, and aspirations
of this critical segment of the population in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and Tanzania. Between
2014 and 2015 we interviewed 7,010 individuals aged 18–35 years, male and female drawn from
rural and urban areas in Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. In addition, 56 focus group
discussions, comprising 6-8 participants were also held to provide nuance and context to the
responses obtained through the questionnaires. The survey reveals important and surprising
insights, and hence, offers reasons for optimism, deep concern, and a fierce urgency for action.
The survey revealed a strong sense of esprit de corps and nationalism among East African youth.
Rwandan and Kenyan youth were the most nationalistic, with 44% and 40% identifying first as
Rwandese and Kenyans respectively. A strong esprit de corps was exhibited among Tanzanian
youth, with 58% identifying as youth first. Rwandan youth at 25% exhibited the weakest esprit
de corps. East African youth held strong values around faith, work, and family. The youth are
entrepreneurial, with the majority (50-65%) aspiring to start their own business, rather than
pursue traditional careers in law, teaching, or medicine.

Except in Rwanda, there is a veritable crisis of integrity among East African youth. For
example, over 50-58% of the youth in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda believed it did not matter
how one made money as long as one did not end up in jail. In contrast, only 21% of Rwandan
youth held the same view. Similarly, only 10% of Rwandan youth said they would take or give a
bribe, compared to 35-44 % in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.

The Kenyan government initiated the Youth Enterprise Development Fund, while the Ugandan
government had its Youth Livelihood Program, both with the aims of financial support and
training for young entrepreneurs. Similarly, Rwanda expanded its programs on Technical and
Vocational Education and Training to impart market-relevant skills among the youth. However,
the scale of the challenge remains enormous, and more integrated approaches that involve
private-sector partnerships and better policy coordination are needed for sustainable employment
to be achieved and unemployment to be brought down across the region (World Bank,2014) and
(United Nations Development Programme (UNDP),2020).
1.1.3 Youth Unemployment Situation in Kitui.
The county government of Kitui in 2024 noted that unemployment in Kitui town, just like many
other parts of the country, was a worrying trend. Kitui County has been struggling with high
levels of unemployment, especially among its youth. Generally, unemployment in urban areas is
very high in Kitui compared to rural areas, consistent with trends across the country, where urban
unemployment is reported at 19.8 percent against 10.5 percent in rural areas. (Kenya National
Bureau of Statistics report in 2023)
There are different reasons for the prevalence of high rates of unemployment in Kitui. The
economy of the county is predominantly agrarian, with limited opportunities provided by the
industry and service sectors. This economic structure implies that there are limited formal
employment opportunities, hence pushing many residents into the informal sector characterized
by low wages and job insecurity. In addition to this, there exists a mismatch between the skills of
the workforce with the available job opportunities, further exacerbating the problem of
unemployment. (KIPPRA,2022)

Among the remedies to unemployment in Kitui, various initiatives have been put in place by
government and non-governmental agencies through measures that could help empower the
youth through entrepreneurship. For instance, there are county government initiatives on SME
development support and vocational training for the youth, to equip them with marketable skills.
These efforts are still wanting to scale up and necessitate complementary broader economic
development strategies that open up opportunities for the employment of citizens in a sustainable
way. County Integrated Development Plans (CIDPs),2023)

1.2 Statement of problem

The government of Kenya has, within the last decade or so, put in place various initiatives that
aim at addressing youth unemployment. Chief of these are the Youth Enterprise Development
Fund and the Uwezo Fund.
These programs, however, have fallen short in lowering the unemployment rate, especially in
rural counties such as Kitui, where myriad structural and systemic bottlenecks persist in
preventing access to available job opportunities. However, policies aimed at reducing
unemployment among the youth, including those captured in the Sessional Paper of 1992, 2005,
and 2012, have remained inadequate as high rates of unemployment among youth still exist in
Kenya. Youths within Kitui face special challenges emanating from the very meager levels of
education, poor infrastructure, lack of adequate support for entrepreneurship, and lack of
diversification into other sectors of the local economy. These challenges multiply into the
transition problem from education into the workforce, binding economic mobility. Besides, most
of the time, education in Kitui does not align with the skills that the labor market needs.

The focus on Kitui County will enable the research to establish localized issues regarding the
problem and suggest recommendations applicable to other counties that might face similar
challenges. Understanding the precise causes of unemployment in Kitui will help policymakers,
local authorities, and stakeholders create targeted interventions that will no doubt be effective
and efficient in addressing the unique challenges facing the region's youth.

1.3 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

1.3.1General objective
To determine the causes of unemployment among youths in Kitui- Kenya.
1.3.2 specific objectives
To ascertain the extent to which the level of education contributes to youth unemployment in
Kitui.

Analyzing the influence of government policies and programs on mitigating youth unemployment.

Determining how inadequate technology influences youth unemployment

To determine how inflexible wage causes youth unemployment

To Recommend strategies that would help decrease youth unemployment in Kitui County.
1.4 Research Questions
The following questions guide the study:
•How does the education level contribute to youth unemployment in Kenya?
• How does inadequate technology lead to youth unemployment?

• How does an inflexible wage rate lead to youth unemployment?

• What are the mitigating ways to reduce unemployment rates among the youths in Kitui?
1.5 Significance of the study
This research will give an understanding in detail of specific factors driving unemployment
among youth in Kenya. By narrowing it down to the local dynamics, specific challenges and
opportunities will be brought out that may not be easily evident from overall analyses at the
national or regional level.
The results of this study on youth unemployment in Kitui town will be useful in making
important information available to local and national policymakers in the fight against the root
causes of unemployment among the youth. Identification of particular factors that relate to the
problem will help the study in the formulation of proper policies and programs that can ensure
increased employment opportunities. This will go a long way in bringing about economic growth
wherein youths who are employed will contribute to productivity and stimulate economic
development through consumer spending. Secondly, such understanding will help the society
reduce social ills like crime, drug abuse, and social unrest; hence, it will ensure social stability
and improved quality of life in Kitui and Kenya as a whole.

The study will further indicate possible weaknesses in the current educational system,
particularly disparities between the skills taught and those sought after in the labor market. It
may, for this reason, spur the reforming of learning institutions in terms of the development of
relevant skills among youth for employment. By giving youth in Kitui opportunities and
equipping them with the right skills to enter the workforce, the research can contribute to their
personal development and purpose in life. Successful strategies and findings from Kitui can be
used as models for other regions that go through the same struggle, while the replication of
successful strategies nationally may further lower unemployment among the youth.