Mombasa youth unemployment rate hits 44 percent, report says

Youth in Nairobi protest over unemployment in the country.[File, Standard]

Mombasa has been cited as one of the counties with the highest levels of youth unemployment rates in the country, standing at 44 percent according to recent local labour assessments.

In a report presented by BrighterMonday Kenya, Women at the Coast Region continue to face barriers to dignified work, limited skills, gaps in mentorship, safety concerns, and fewer leadership opportunities.

Brighter Monday Senior Specialist Strategist, Geraldine Chepchirchir said that through the Gen-Kazi Program under Empower Her Initiative, BrighterMonday Kenya in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation seeks to reach 217,000 young women across 47 counties within 18 months.

She said the in initiative will equip the women with practical tools to navigate Kenya’s evolving workforce within the tourism sector.

Speaking during the launch of two day Mombasa Career Clinic and Entrepreneurship Summit in Mombasa County, Chepchirchir said tourism is one of the Coast Region’s largest employers yet many women work in low-paid or informal roles.

“This EmpowerHer Initiative is our commitment to transforming the workforce in the region through equipping women in Mombasa with employability and business skills, digital literacy, and county-led mentorship so they can fully participate in the tourism sector.”

She said women remain the backbone of the Coast region’s hospitality and tourism sector, yet they continue to face barriers to dignified work, limited skills, gaps in mentorship, safety concerns, and fewer leadership opportunities.

Chepchirchir said the county-led workforce and entrepreneurship intervention is designed to enhance skills, employability, and business growth among young women aged 18 to 35 years with a special focus on opportunities within the hospitality and blue economy.

She said BighterMonday will be opening new centres in Machakos and Eldoret and Kakamega where youths can walk in to check the opportunities and be guided on polishing CVs and interview preparations.

Chepchirchir said that most of the youths have missed on available employment opportunities because they lack proper CVs access to the job platforms and proper linkage.

“The Gen-Kazi program, implemented by BrighterMonday Kenya, continues to tackle these challenges by upskilling and reskilling youth aged 18 to 35, with a focus on underserved groups including 70 percent women, 70 percent non-urban youth and 10 percent PWDs,” said Chepchirchir.

She said that they are targeting to get 60,000 youths upskilled in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Curriculum Vitae (CV) mentorship and work opportunities.
Swahili Pot founder and Chief Mentor Mahmoud Noor said that said there were over 373,000 youths who were unemployed in Mombasa before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Noor said that hospitality is the major focus because the Coast Region is a tourism gateway with several opportunities in jobs and entrepreneurship.

He said the intention is to build an eco-system that will link the youths to various investment hubs to help mentor the youths towards start-ups in business.

“We have over 100 start-ups that we have facilitated. We gave 200 artists sh100,000 to monetise their skills and talents,” said Noor.

“Women remain the backbone of the Coast region’s hospitality and tourism sector, yet they continue to face barriers to dignified work, limited skills, gaps in mentorship, safety concerns, and fewer leadership opportunities,” said Chepchirchir.

According to 24 years old John Macharia, it has been an uphill task to get a job in his field of study.

Macharia is among the millions of Gen-Z in Kenya who have been unsuccessful in finding a career job after several job applications.

Macharia, a student at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) pursuing Alternative Chemistry said the job market is complicated and requires a well written Curriculum Vitae (CV) and good networking.

“I wanted to know if there is something to be changed in my CV and skills and also find job placements. I had done a lot of job applications but failed. With the Gen-Kazi Program, I have been able to walk into the job booths and met with Equity Foundation who said they will look into my CV and get back to me,” said Macharia.