Youth unemployment ticking time bomb as numbers hit 1.5 million

Entrepreneur Ashifi Gogo from Sproxil East Africa speaks during the launch of the study conducted on unemployment in Kenya in Nairobi yesterday. [PHOTO:MBUGUA KIBERA/STANDARD]

Kenya: More than 1.5 million people are currently unemployed in Kenya, with over a third of them being young people between the ages of 15 and 24.

Consequently, the country needs to create more than 3.9 million jobs for young people by 2020, according to a study released yesterday by SAP SE and global non-profit organisation, Endeavor. The report titled "Critical Five Percent", says Kenya's workforce is projected to grow by 3.4 million people by 2020, due primarily to young adults entering the job market.