Youths in Meru are divided over whether chiefs should recruit civil servants for the August census.
Meru Youth leader Phineas Mutwiri told the Star it is illogical for public servants to compete with jobless youths for census jobs while Bonnie Gituma said jobs are given on merit, not because one is jobless.
“Someone tell these young boys and girls that you don’t get jobs because you are unemployed but on merit,” he said.
Mutwiri retorted, “Civil servants shouldn’t apply and even if they apply they should not be considered for the job. It is time for university, college students and jobless youths to be given such jobs. These are not permanent jobs that can change one’s life.”
Another resident said the census jobs do not require past experience or internship, they only need one to have attained a C plain and above in KCSE.
He said permanently employed people seeking the census jobs were "greedy, egocentric, archaic and corrupt".
Mikinduri Ward MCA Gabriel Chokera said he was consulting administrators to ensure that only unemployed youths are given the jobs.
“I am fully supporting the calls for unemployed young people to get these jobs. I remember we had the same problem in the last census. We agreed that the census jobs should be left to unemployed young people. I will personally do everything in consultation with our administration to ensure unemployed youths get the jobs,” Chokera said.
The national government has advertised for enumerators, content supervisors, and ICT supervisors.
