As I have indicated before, what the ruling elite must prioritise is to increase job opportunities for the youth. Every year, thousands of young people graduate from universities and colleges, but only about a quarter of them get formal employment.
It has brought desperate moments, such as when a young man tells you that he would rather buy a motorcycle than pay for college. The reason for this is that he has met hundreds of graduates in the boda boda industry.
I still believe the main issue is that the world has changed and that anyone can obtain a degree from any university as long as they pass and are dedicated. As is typical in this part of the world, our economies are too small to absorb the majority of those with papers. Then we abolished technical colleges and demanded that everyone be a white-collar worker.
I also believe we have created a microwave generation that expects a six-figure salary as soon as they graduate from college and is unaware that it takes patience and time to get there.
Before going to university or college, some of us did jobs like arranging files in government offices as casuals to get the discipline of working and earning money in order to save. Some may refer to us as mean, but we understand that money must be respected or it will one day disrespect you.
Today, I'd like to focus on a story that has been in the news for a while about women who go to work as housekeepers in the Middle East and are tortured.
Many people on the other side of the fence will say they have been warned and still go, but what they don't realise is that it is desperation that drives them there. The majority of them are from impoverished rural areas.
So, if they've been promised Sh30,000 to Sh50,000 per month, you can imagine what that means for the family.
Some families will sell their cattle or even their land to allow their children to travel and do manual labour. Some agents are good, but as is typical in Kenya, most guys saw it as a way to make quick money and decided to open it without the necessary networks.
I've seen some of them being mistreated by agents in Kenya weeks before they leave. Some agents have offices in town and use them as boarding houses, with the girls sleeping on the floor.
Because there are no shower facilities, they usually take their baths in the office sinks. At that point, I believe the lady and her family should pause and consider what will happen if we have a rough time before we travel.
I also believe that the government should come in and educate them about the rules in some of the foreign countries, as well as be present if there are any problems and the workers need to return home.
We have a few success stories, but they are being measured by the children being able to build houses for their parents, which I believe is incorrect.
Children should not be placed in the position of being your future. Give them your best, and the rest will come as a thank you.
As we've seen in other stories, money is sent back home, but instead of being used for development, it becomes a source of entertainment for a mother or father.
We understand that there is desperation out there and that poverty drives some decisions, but we must be careful where we send our children or they will end up in a casket.
