Deputy President Kithure Kindiki speaking during the Nation-Huawei Leap Job Fair in Nairobi on Monday, July 8, 2025. /SCREENGRABDeputy President Kithure Kindiki has sounded the alarm over rising youth unemployment in Kenya, warning that the crisis is pushing many young people into crime, drug abuse, and hopelessness.
Speaking during the Nation-Huawei Leap Job Fair in Nairobi, Kindiki said the government had been jolted by recent youth-led street protests to urgently expand job creation efforts.
“While many challenges face the young people today, undoubtedly the most acute challenge young people face in Kenya and in many parts of the world is the inability to access employment, jobs and income opportunities,” Kindiki said.
He revealed that over 60 per cent of Kenya’s unemployed population are youth, many of whom lack vocational or professional training.
“This is what drives young people into crime and drugs and a general state of hopelessness and despair,” he warned.
Kindiki noted that the problem is not unique to Kenya, pointing to findings from the International Labour Organisation’s World Employment and Social Trends Report 2025, which highlights that youth unemployment globally remains significantly higher than adult unemployment.
“In some countries, youth unemployment is three and even four times that of adults,” he added.
He said the impact of this trend is already being felt in Kenya, where young people have taken to the streets in growing numbers to express their frustration over economic hardships.
“These actions have affected the financial stability of many households and the mental stability of those directly affected—both by the destruction meted on businesses and those frustrated by unemployment,” Kindiki said.
“Those are serious ramifications on the development of our society.”
The Deputy President emphasised the need to invest in training and skills development to curb joblessness and prevent further social decay.
He assured the public that the government is scaling up initiatives aimed at empowering youth and absorbing them into the job market to safeguard the country's stability and future.
"We gather here today on the back of recent events in the last two weeks in this country, which now more than ever validate the strategic focus of this government in pursuing job creation and income opportunities for our young people," he said.
