President William Ruto has just unveiled an ambitious project that aims to help 18 to 29-year-olds enter the job market. His detractors say its just more political rhetoric as elections draw near. Where does that leave the GenZs who have been agitating for opportunities and change?
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00:00Another major announcement from President Ruto, a plan to create over 100,000 jobs for youth across Kenya.
00:07Next week, this has been called a new job, and now it will come to Kenya Mzima, and there will be 1,110 people who will have a job to pay for this job.
00:21For a generation facing high unemployment and rising costs, this should be great news, but instead, there is skepticism.
00:30He has promised a lot in the past, and there's been little to zero implementation of the promises before, so we don't really trust him to deliver, but we are waiting to see if he does.
00:42We've cried off most of the things, but the government is not listening at all. They are planning to work on things that we've not told them to work on.
00:50I think this government is a government of, until we react, until we go out to the streets, that is when they are going to come and listen to us, but not unless we do that, they can't listen to us.
01:03Welcome to the flip side.
01:05It's been nearly three years since President William Ruto assumed office as Kenya's fifth president. His critics say he can't be trusted. But here's the thing, this project could be different if done right.
01:19Right now, the real concerns are no clear budget for the program, no public consultation, no guarantee the jobs will lead to long-term change.
01:29These programs cost money, and the Kenyan government does not necessarily have the finances available to do everything that it had intended.
01:39This naturally does come with a lot of skepticism about whether or not, first of all, the program will be implemented, but second of all, whether it will actually make a tangible difference in the lives of especially unemployed young people.
01:53We are in June, the last month of the financial year. We have not seen any allocation in the budget for this particular program.
02:02But it doesn't have to be a dead end. What young Kenyans are calling for isn't complicated. Transparency, show us the budget. Inclusion, involve the youth voices from planning to roll out. Sustainability, make it more than just a short-term gig.
02:19Basically, what the people need, especially the young people, because we have a highly educated population, the young people would have wanted job opportunities that are long-term.
02:31And I think a lot of young people are looking for longer-term employment prospects and those that will lead to tangible experience and expertise.
02:42So if this program does deliver on new jobs, that would be appealing.
02:49And that could be a turning point, not just for Ruto's administration, but for how Kenya tackles youth unemployment in the future.
02:58The youth don't want handouts during elections. They want opportunity. And that is the flip side.
03:12So I'll see you in the next grade.
03:13Very soon.
03:17I'll see you in the next grade.
03:19So, for now I'm working at this program.
03:21I'm working at this program.
03:23And I'll see you in the next grade.
03:26So, I'm working at this program.
03:27But this program is a program.
03:31And I think we have the time that we're working at this program.
03:35So, that is for now.
03:36Okay.
03:37And that's all you say?
03:38So, I don't know.