Kenya high unemployment now linked to poor education

[RVtitem]

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http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/economy/World-Bank-links-poor-education-to-Kenya-s-high-unemployment/3946234-4135284-jv8c8g/index.html

[MOON Ki]

An unemployment rate of 40%?  Staggering.    I can't even begin to imagine what that really means outside places like Iraq, Somalia, Afghanistan, etc. ... wrecks of countries.   And I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the figure under-estimates things.   

As one would expect, all those "universities" in shopping areas and atop bars don't appear to be producing graduates of the highest calibre:

ess than one per cent of tertiary-educated More than a quarter were at level 1 or below, meaning that they cannot enter personal information into a document or identify a single piece of information from a simple text

Seriously?

Nevertheless, it's probably not much to get excited about; Kenyans seem quite content with the situation.   In most places high unemployment rates would be a major issue, especially during elections.   Not in Kenya.  A couple of statements promising---again!---a milliion+ jobs per year, and that was that.   "Our man" and "defections" are what get real attention.

Prospects of change in the Kenyan head?   Absolutely.  When the pain reaches intolerable levels.  Until then, as H. E. Mwai Kibaki would say, kazi iendelee.   

[bryan275]

Tell it to pundit.  He thinks UoN is ivy league.

[patel]

let us not blame the victims.....The only election in Kenya where the real winner was declared was in 2002 and we saw the far reaching changes that brought. Wanjiku has continuously been on the right side of history...

 

n
An unemployment rate of 40%?  Staggering.    I can't even begin to imagine what that really means outside places like Iraq, Somalia, Afghanistan, etc. ... wrecks of countries.   And I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the figure under-estimates things.   

As one would expect, all those "universities" in shopping areas and atop bars don't appear to be producing graduates of the highest calibre:

ess than one per cent of tertiary-educated More than a quarter were at level 1 or below, meaning that they cannot enter personal information into a document or identify a single piece of information from a simple text

Seriously?

Nevertheless, it's probably not much to get excited about; Kenyans seem quite content with the situation.   In most places high unemployment rates would be a major issue, especially during elections.   Not in Kenya.  A couple of statements promising---again!---a milliion+ jobs per year, and that was that.   "Our man" and "defections" are what get real attention.

Prospects of change in the Kenyan head?   Absolutely.  When the pain reaches intolerable levels.  Until then, as H. E. Mwai Kibaki would say, kazi iendelee.   

[Georgesoros]

Absolutely true. Now that I look back, most university education is useless - except for a few areas.

[MOON Ki]

let us not blame the victims.....The only election in Kenya where the real winner was declared was in 2002 and we saw the far reaching changes that brought. Wanjiku has continuously been on the right side of history...

And why not, when the victim is always a willing sucker and active participant in the circus?    Even if we allow for, say, 1 to 2 million votes getting stolen in each (presidential) elections after 2002, that still leaves a whole bunch of people willingly choosing all sorts of scoundrels, perverts, and criminals.   No getting around that fact.   

Another thing is that hardly anyone complains about "theft" below the level of "president".    And that is because at the lower levels, both "sides" are going for all sorts of miscreants, in the name of "our man".  Devolution has not so much been a devolution of power as it has been a devolution of thievery.   

"Wanjiku" as generally portrayed is mostly a myth.  The real Wanjiku keeps asking for it and keeps getting it.  When and where does said Wanjiku ever really express concerns on high unemployment, food security, corruption, government services, etc?   Take corruption, which many endlessly whine about.   When and where was the last massive demonstration on that, in a place where hardly a week goes by without some corruption scandal?   (The last one I recall occurred last year and involved about 30 people in a city of millions.)

Yes, 2002 was a major step forward.  But that was after 24 hears of Moi beating the crap out of everyone.   And even then the stage had been set to see Moi out 10 years earlier, but a lot of "our man" got in the way.   Another decade of rear-end tarimbo clarified minds, which is what it will take to move forward from where the country is right now.   

When it comes to elections and "our man", Kenyans are more than happy to engage in all sorts of activities, including the most mindless mayhem---even murder!   But in the things that matter between elections? 

There are only two ways to wake up Wanjiku: (a) proper civic education, and (b) sufficient pain.    Nobody---government of Opposition---has ever shown the slightest interest in (a), which is probably understandable because it would detract from "our man" politics.   That leaves (b). In that, they are in "good hands" with H.E.  J. Walker Kenyatta and Deputy H.E. Singh Arap Mashamba.   

 

[patel]

Points noted. ..thanks for bringing new perspective and clarity to this issue.

let us not blame the victims.....The only election in Kenya where the real winner was declared was in 2002 and we saw the far reaching changes that brought. Wanjiku has continuously been on the right side of history...

And why not, when the victim is always a willing sucker and active participant in the circus?    Even if we allow for, say, 1 to 2 million votes getting stolen in each (presidential) elections after 2002, that still leaves a whole bunch of people willingly choosing all sorts of scoundrels, perverts, and criminals.   No getting around that fact.   

Another thing is that hardly anyone complains about "theft" below the level of "president".    And that is because at the lower levels, both "sides" are going for all sorts of miscreants, in the name of "our man".  Devolution has not so much been a devolution of power as it has been a devolution of thievery.   

"Wanjiku" as generally portrayed is mostly a myth.  The real Wanjiku keeps asking for it and keeps getting it.  When and where does said Wanjiku ever really express concerns on high unemployment, food security, corruption, government services, etc?   Take corruption, which many endlessly whine about.   When and where was the last massive demonstration on that, in a place where hardly a week goes by without some corruption scandal?   (The last one I recall occurred last year and involved about 30 people in a city of millions.)

Yes, 2002 was a major step forward.  But that was after 24 hears of Moi beating the crap out of everyone.   And even then the stage had been set to see Moi out 10 years earlier, but a lot of "our man" got in the way.   Another decade of rear-end tarimbo clarified minds, which is what it will take to move forward from where the country is right now.   

When it comes to elections and "our man", Kenyans are more than happy to engage in all sorts of activities, including the most mindless mayhem---even murder!   But in the things that matter between elections? 

There are only two ways to wake up Wanjiku: (a) proper civic education, and (b) sufficient pain.    Nobody---government of Opposition---has ever shown the slightest interest in (a), which is probably understandable because it would detract from "our man" politics.   That leaves (b). In that, they are in "good hands" with H.E.  J. Walker Kenyatta and Deputy H.E. Singh Arap Mashamba.   

 

[RV Pundit]

I don't think there is that high unemployment in a country as poor as kenya. People simply must work to survive. Maybe employment in formal sector or under employment is the problem.

[Kichwa]

What kind of work do they do to survive which is not accurately or not captured at all by the methods of measuring unemployment?

I don't think there is that high unemployment in a country as poor as kenya. People simply must work to survive. Maybe employment in formal sector or under employment is the problem.

[RV Pundit]

In kenya - mostly farming - they wake up, forage the ground or herd their goats - of course formal jobs are just 2.5m - out of nearly 20m adults- now that is where there is a problem.

What kind of work do they do to survive which is not accurately or not captured at all by the methods of measuring unemployment?