There is a dire need for job creation in Kenya, as many young people wallow in the lack of livelihood opportunities.
Besides, the job market has taken a massive hit from the Covid-19 pandemic, with many employers downsizing and halting further recruitment, despite institutions of learning continuing to churn out graduates to add to the many who are still jobless for years.
Businesses took a hit as the government also struggled with little or no funds for development and a ballooning national debt.
As a result, an ambitious plan that helps the economy recover and expand is urgently needed.
Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka has proposed the 24-hour economy as one of the ways to create jobs for the youths.
A 24-hour economy simply means that businesses are open for 24 hours, seven days a week, with people working in three shifts of eight hours each.
It is not a new agenda for Kalonzo as he campaigned on the platform in 2007 on the ODM Kenya ticket.
A 24-hour economy translates into 16 more hours to a working day.
Cities such as London, Amsterdam, Melbourne, Berlin and Sidney have thriving night-time economies, tangibly reaping immense benefits as their people work longer, later, and smarter.
Let us take London as an example. The total night-time economy of the UK is about £70 billion, where the capital represents just over £40 billion. London’s night economic activity employs about 800,000 people directly and the number rises to over a million through indirect impact, which is about two for every eight workers in the capital.
The hotel industry, arts and entertainment, transport, storage, health and social work, administration and support services, professional, information and communication, scientific, technical, wholesale, retail and repair comprise London’s night economy.
London even has a night mayor (night czar) as this economy is estimated to be growing at a rate of £2 billion a year. The digital economy of software developers, stockbrokers, child-care facilities and customer service reps are among many beneficiaries of this economy.
According to Deloitte Access Economics, Greater Sydney’s night-economy value in 2017 was almost $30 billion supporting over 200,000 jobs with a projected $16 billion potential of economic boost and related jobs creation.
Research in the cities mentioned above demonstrates that manufacturing companies would produce more and be able to cope with market demands in a 24-hour economy. More power will be needed, meaning KenGen, for instance, would need to work to create capacity to produce more renewable energy.
Public space in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, and other towns, which would be largely unused during the day, will be utilised at night. Shift workers also earn a higher pay and can manage sleep and work time optimally.
The entertainment sector employs many young people all over the world, and it is an industry that has been growing exponentially in Kenya. Obviously, it can be expanded significantly through bringing the night-economy into place. The food industry, which includes the alcohol industry could thrive.
Indeed, the 24-hour economy can lead Kenya faster towards urbanisation and not urbanism, which is what led to slums such as Kibera. Basically, people shifted to Nairobi looking for opportunities, lacked them and ended up fetching water from rivers, for instance, because they lacked access to piped water. Job opportunities will ensure more assured life in the city.
The 24-hour economy already exists in low scale in Kenya. The Expressway is being built over 24 hours. There is growing pressure on public services such as energy, which are stretched much during the day.
What will Kalonzo need to fix to enable the 24-hour economy?
The development of relevant policies and serious boosting of security will be inevitable. The transport sector will also require modernisation and nighttime will require its utmost efficiency. Licensing laws will require reforms to allow for extended trading, and so will lighting.
The president will need to work closely with county governments to attain this.
Tourists, especially Europeans, are attracted by nightlife, which means restaurants and transportation will benefit greatly. Jubilee built the SGR but Kenya will probably need a greater infrastructure to facilitate real estate growth, considering rising population.
Kenya can be caught up in worse challenges than those of Thika and Mombasa Road jams, if we do not plan well with the resources we have and implement ambitious but realistic plans.
However, the 24-hour economy requires smart planning. When companies just add people for shifts haphazardly, that will not work. They will have to buy into a non-stop work environment enabled by a committed government supported by a devoted private sector.
“We need radical moves to create jobs by adopting proven ideas not fallacies like bottom-up economy. Life is real and people need real solutions not enhanced lies. We must unleash our creativity in practical ways which will instil vibrancy, diversity, and productivity.” Kalonzo recently said.
