During his Jamhuri Day speech dubbed 'Connect, Innovate and Inspire', President William Ruto stated his government plans to install 100,000km of digital highway through fibre optic to enable internet access in every part of the country so as to create one million jobs, courtesy of the technology space.
The president's initiative on internet connectivity is commendable although over emphasis of the same might exclude less internet savvy citizens from employment. One needs not to go further on digital highway exclusion when 20,000 Kenyans who had smartphones during Jamhuri Day celebrations at the Nyayo National Stadium got scholarship worth Sh100,000 each.
From statistics, Kenyan unemployment rate goes up every year. By early 2021, a World Bank report indicated that 5.7 per cent of Kenya's labour force was out of work, up from 2.8 per cent in 2013. On the brighter side, the same report revealed that an average household income could increase if more good quality jobs are made available for the one million Kenyans joining the labour force annually. Eighty five per cent of those unemployed are under the age of 35.
The government has work cut out to create employment opportunities. While it is true that internet connectivity has made accessing banking and government services and other services easier, the digital highway is also a curse. Technological advancement has led to massive retrenchment in sectors such insurance, media and banks. Therefore the government ought to see digital highway as both a blessing and a curse.
At some point it seemed the government is not sure on strategies to create job opportunities. The safest way to create more job opportunities is to create an equal platform for digital and physical space. Kenya Kwanza abolished Kazi Kwa Vijana initiative that the Jubilee government had launched to create jobs for the youth. However, within no time, there was a rebirth of Kazi kwa Vijana after Nairobi Governor Johnston Sakaja announced his government will employ youths to plant trees in the city. Ironically, Sakaja closed entertainment joints in residential areas, rendering young waiters, DJs, bouncers and others jobless.
The government should borrow a leaf from Singapore and Rwanda on job creation. Singapore's economy is among the most stable in the world. Part of Singapore's economy is driven by manufacturing, financial services and tourism.
Rwanda's quest to revamp its economy after genocide is pushed by the export of tea and coffee, tourism and foreign aid, which constituted 20 per cent of gross annual income. Rwanda unemployment decreased to 18.10 per cent in the third quarter of 2022 from 23 per cent in the second quarter of 2022.
The digital space might not create one million job opportunities. Creating employment opportunities in Kenya needs political goodwill to fight corruption, nepotism and cartels in order to revive dying agriculture sectors.
Rev. Canon. Dr. Olando is the principal of Bishop Hannington Institute in Mombasa
