A decade after graduating from the University of Nairobi with a second-class honours degree, Jeanette Kamene is still searching for a stable job. Her story is not one of failure, but a frustrating symbol of a promise unfulfilled for thousands of young, educated Kenyans.

This is more than one woman's struggle; it is a national economic pressure point. With youth aged 15-34 facing a staggering unemployment rate of up to 67%, Kamene's experience highlights a systemic crisis where academic achievement no longer guarantees a foothold in the formal economy.

Kamene told reporters her hope of securing a job within a few years has dissolved into a decade of dead ends. "Job searching has become so difficult that sometimes even my applications do not go through," she noted. To survive, she has cycled through menial jobs, from selling eggs to second-hand clothes, but these ventures failed to thrive.

A brief period of hope came in 2021 with a one-year internship at the Public Service Commission (PSC). While the programme is designed to bridge the gap between education and employment, for Kamene, it was a temporary reprieve. Once the year ended, she was back home, jobless.

A Widening Chasm for Graduates

Kamene's situation is tragically common. A World Bank report revealed that it can take an average of five years for a Kenyan graduate to find employment. This delay is often attributed to a glaring mismatch between university curricula, which is often theoretical, and the practical, hands-on skills demanded by today's employers.

The national statistics paint a grim picture for the country's youth, who represent about 35% of the population:

• An estimated 500,000 to 800,000 graduates enter the Kenyan job market each year, competing for a limited number of formal jobs.
• The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) reports that young people aged 20-29 constitute the largest share of the unemployed.
• Even when jobs are created, the vast majority are in the informal sector, which often lacks stability, benefits, and legal protection.

The Public Service Internship Programme, which Kamene participated in, remains highly coveted. For its latest cohort, over 35,000 graduates applied for just 7,000 available slots, underscoring the fierce competition for any opportunity. However, many former interns have expressed frustration, feeling they were "trained and dumped" without a clear path to permanent employment.

As Jeanette Kamene faces another day of uncertainty, her story serves as a powerful reminder of the human cost of these statistics. For a generation that invested in education as the key to a better future, the question remains: when will Kenya's economy create the opportunities to match their ambition?