The Cry of a Poor Kenyan: Letter to Mr. President

Hello Mr. President,

I know you'll not get this, but someone around you will. I know that my plea is likely to fall on a deaf ear, but I’ll still make it anyway. Congratulations for what you are doing for the youths, to be specific- providing loans on low interest.  If you are in a hurry, please turn to the last paragraph.

Many of us, Mr. President, are university graduates contemplating on committing suicide if not turning to drug abuse. It is useless for you to create more jobs if the jobs are taken by so and so’s relative. For instance, ask any Kamau, Onyango or Nyakundi who is working with the government, they'll honestly tell you that they landed in the position because their ... Is a good friend of a senior person in government. One can estimate that only 20% of the available job opportunities are given out competitively. What will happen to us?  'US’, the sons and daughters of ordinary Kenyans?  We will die in poverty like our parents.

Have you ever wondered why it is so hard to get an ordinary Kenyan, in this case someone from the shrubs of Turkana or Rift Valley, doing exemplary well; like what your son is doing in the fashion industry? Take my case, for example; I was born in some outcast in Nakuru Town. I went to Mahiga Primary school, I mean Mahiga Primary don’t confuse it with the famous Mahiga Girls Sec. in Nyeri. This was, and still is, a school in which the teacher can hardly draw the map of Kenya without consulting the Social studies, then GHC, book.

I went to Mitimingi Mixed Day Secondary School. One would think, Mitimingi, whose translation in English is ‘many trees’ is equivalent to many life opportunities. At form one, all I wanted to be was a doctor or a teacher because those were the only two professions that I knew of. As I progressed though, I would hear of something like law, engineering and so on. You wonder why I didi  not know about journalism and yet we had a radio, it’s because we only listened to Kikuyu broadcast and so I thought one needs no education to be a radio presenter, you only need to know all the Kikuyu sayings.  My greatest challenge was how to qualify for the Joint Admission Board (JAB) funding while in Mitimingi.

In the history of the school, there were only 10 or so students who had attained JAB qualification since its inception in 1988. And mark you I was in form four in the year 2006. History would also predict doom for me since among the few who had made it there was not even a single girl. Despite all, I made it and was admitted to one of the famous public universities in Kenya.

How I wanted to pursue a career in law. I would also be happy with one in journalism and mass communication. But with my just above the cutoff point grades, I landed to course that is no different from extending your high school studies for four more years. How I wish i was your daughter or even any of your acquaintances’, I would be someone today. What are the universities trying to get out of bright minds that are crumbling in class only to be given a Bachelor of Arts, a Bachelor of Science (BA or BSc in nothing, I mean, with no specialization) degrees?

Sorry Mr. President, but I had to come to you. I need a job. Don’t tell me to start my own business. I agree that the best option is to invest in whatever kind of investment, but I need food tonight. You agree with me that I’m not assured of getting returns in the evening, even if you gave me Ksh 500,000 to invest. Please hire me in whatever capacity, or give me the capital and not only at low interest, but also with 6 months grace period. Thank you your Excellency. I look forward to hearing from you.