A viral CCTV clip captures the tragicomic lengths unemployed youth are going to, blurring the line between despair and performance art in the hunt for work.

In an incident that sits uncomfortably between comedy and tragedy, CCTV footage from an Eldoret office building has captured the desperate theatrics of modern job hunting. The video, which has spread like wildfire across Kenyan social media, shows a young man staging a dramatic collapse after being told there were no vacancies, highlighting the extreme lengths to which the country`s youth are driven by unemployment.

The scene plays out like a silent film. The man, papers in hand, is turned away by staff. He retreats, but not for long. Minutes later, he returns to the corridor, checks his surroundings with the cunning of a stage actor, and then crumples to the floor. It is a performance born of frustration, a physical manifestation of the crushing weight of rejection that thousands of Kenyan graduates face daily.

The Staff Strikes Back

The response from the office staff adds a layer of dark humor to the narrative. Instead of panicking or calling for an ambulance, a staff member—clearly seasoned in the art of spotting a ruse—approaches the "unconscious" man with a stick. A sharp tap to the legs performs a miraculous resurrection, and the man stands up, his medical emergency instantly cured.

This interaction speaks volumes about the cynicism that has permeated the job market. Employers are besieged by desperation, and job seekers have resorted to guerilla tactics to get noticed. The stick is a metaphor for the harsh reality of the Kenyan economy: it doesn`t care about your theatrics; it demands you get up and keep moving.

• The Setup: The man had earlier been advised to leave his CV and wait for a call—a polite euphemism for rejection that every job seeker knows well.
• The Execution: The "faint" was timed for maximum visibility, aimed at guilt-tripping the employer into a second look.
• The Reaction: Online, the video has sparked laughter, but also a deep vein of sympathy. "We laugh to keep from crying," one user commented, summarizing the national mood.

A Symptom of a Sick System

While the video is being shared as comic relief, it is a symptom of a systemic crisis. When formal channels of employment are blocked, people resort to spectacle. This young man’s feigned collapse is a protest against invisibility. He wanted to be seen, even if it meant playing the victim.

As the laughter fades, the image remains: a young man on a cold floor, pretending to die because he cannot find a way to live. It is a stark portrait of Eldoret, and indeed Kenya, in 2026—where the hustle has become so hard, it sometimes requires a stunt double.