The 2019 Economic Survey Report that was launched yesterday has given us yet another set of statistics that we must thoroughly interrogate to see if they correlate with the reality on the ground.
The data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics shows that the government created 1.8 million jobs in the last six years which is equivalent to 360,000 new jobs per year.
The report shows that the number of new jobs created last year went down by 69,400 from 909,800 reported in 2017- only 840, 600 jobs were created in the year under review.
The formal sector recorded the least number of growth in new jobs a clear indication that the government and the private sector is not opening new slots. This could be due to the bad economy experienced in the country during the prolonged campaigns and electioneering period which also came with political tensions.
There were grandstanding between Jubilee and Nasa which affected business hence the creation of few jobs.
For the first time since 2014, slightly post President Mwai Kibaki regime, the new jobs created in the informal sector dropped to 762.2 million jobs.
There has been growing concern raised by Kenyans on these economic growth statistics and their day to day experience.
And therefore we need to interrogate the 6.3 per cent expansion in the economy so that we clearly get to know the source of the growth.
The Jubilee administration has given priority to manufacturing in its Big Four Agenda, but we all know the threats it is facing from corruption, the high cost of doing business, particularly with regards to electricity, transport, huge taxes by both the national and county governments which is draining investors.
The audits reports that are being released by the Auditor General- both on the national and the 47 county units have shown massive mismanagement of public resources which in turn compromise economic growth and affects job creation.
All these factors inform the disconnect between the purported booming economy and the reality Kenyans feel on the ground.
The monies that are meant to be economically productive and generate economic activity do not reach intended projects and as long as this continues to happen, jobs and growth that could have been created by the two levels government will not be realised.
The CEO of Institute of Public Finance -Kenya spoke to the Star.
