NAIROBI, Kenya – Jotham Njogu didn’t plan to become a chef. He studied hard at Chuka University, picturing himself in a smart suit, analyzing policies or managing accounts in a glass office somewhere in Nairobi. But life had other ideas.
After graduation, doors didn’t swing open as expected. The job market felt more like a waiting room—long, uncertain, and full of closed doors.
Then, at a family wedding, something shifted. Jotham was cooking for relatives when someone threw a playful comment his way: “You should be doing this for a living!”
That spark turned into a flame. With grit, a small loan, and savings from a stint in Dubai, Jotham started a catering business in Nyandarua.
Today, he employs over 20 people, feeding corporate giants, wedding guests, and hungry locals.
“I went abroad looking for a future. But I built my real success right here at home,” Jotham says. “It wasn’t a straight road, but I kept moving.”
In Eldoret, Meshack Mayende had a similar awakening. He earned a degree in Economics—but instead of a desk job, he found himself drawn to the soil.
“I used to chase the ‘perfect’ job. But success, I’ve learned, is creating something that feeds families—including mine,” says the proud potato farmer.
A Generation That Refuses to Wait
Kenya’s youth are not just looking for jobs—they’re building futures out of creativity, resilience, and sometimes, pure necessity.
Many start out dreaming of formal employment. But with millions entering the labor market every year and only a few slots available, most turn to what they can create with their hands, minds, and hearts.
They’re opening shops, planting crops, coding apps, and fixing cars. They are part of a new movement—one that’s turning unemployment into innovation.
Seeds of Hope: What Government is Doing
To meet this ambition, the government is shifting gears too. Under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), the focus is moving from top-down promises to grassroots results.
In the fields, farmers are benefiting from a fertilizer subsidy program that’s helping boost yields and employment along the agricultural value chain.
In urban slums and rural towns, thousands are now part of the Climate WorX Mtaani initiative—earning wages while building Kenya’s climate resilience.
And through labor agreements, the country is opening doors abroad, sending skilled workers to places like Germany and Denmark—and bringing foreign remittances back home.
More Than Numbers: What the Future Needs
Despite all this, challenges remain. Youth still get stuck in jobs that don’t reflect their education or passion.
Rural youth often face a steeper climb. And for young women, cultural and structural barriers make the journey even harder.
But experts agree: Kenya’s future lies in people, not policies alone.
More investment in digital skills, youth funding, climate-resilient farming, and support for small businesses could unlock the next generation of homegrown success stories.
Because behind every statistic is a Jotham, a Meshack, a Sheila—ordinary Kenyans rewriting what it means to work, thrive, and lead.
