Kenyans are seething with anger over the latest massive job losses that have been experienced in the past few months.
Majority of them this week took to Twitter to vent their frustrations over the job cuts using the hashtag #Ilostmyjob #Savemyjob and #Ourjobsmatter.
Some have blamed the Jubilee Government for neglecting them and not fulfilling their promises of job creation.
A video of a former Sportspesa employee Jane Minayo lamenting on her predicament was posted online by Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala.
In the video, Minayo, a single mother painfully narrated her situation urging the government and its top officials to intervene in her situation as well as that of the other 362 others who lost their jobs.
“I am a hustler and today I am such a frustrated mother. We have a lot of customers especially the youth who highly depend on us. Where does the government expect us to go? I have two children who I educate alone.”
Hello Kenya! This is what mwananchi is going through. It is sad that the people who voted us into office are suffering. It’s high time we do something about the rampant shutting down of companies in Kenya. Kwa ground mambo ni mbaya. #OurJobsMatter@WilliamsRuto @FredMatiangi pic.twitter.com/q4IZbsrzc2— Cleophas Malalah (@Cleophasmalala) October 5, 2019
“We work for our children so that in the future, they can also learn how to depend on themselves. During Deputy Ruto’s campaigns, I remember him saying that is country is for ‘hustlers’ please remember the ones that are in the low class level. Do not undermine us.”
Julia Awuor, who also shared a video online, explains how losing her job will affect her life and those who depend on her.
“I received a letter saying that my job is over. I am a mother. Everything is on me. That is school fees, rent and a nanny who will also get affected by this. We need to share our stories widely and ask ourselves as Kenyans. What is going on?” she lamented.
Waeru Ivy tweeted, “#DearPresidentUhuru You promised access to better healthcare, since #ILostMyJob I lost my medical cover that allowed my son & I to walk into any hospital in Kenya without worry. The ripple effect of shutting down Sportpesa is not just it’s employees bt Kenya as a country is massive.”
7billion arap tweeted, “The same people who campaigned on empowering youths with jobs are the same people laying out the people who voted for them out of betting firms. The same people are evicting their voters out of Mau. The same people promised the youths 6 stadiums. The same people are in Kibra not for the people but to flex their political muscles. Wakenya when will you learn?”
Job losses have hit nearly all sectors of the economy from commercial banks to insurance firms, manufacturing to telecommunication firms.
Since July, at least 2,000 workers have lost their jobs and more companies are intending to get rid of workers before the end of the year.
While technology disruptions have played some role, the job cuts further suggest the economy is not growing first enough to absorb millions of job seekers. At least 50,000 young people graduate from public universities annually.
The problem, according to economists, is made worse by the increasing competition, especially from cheap imports.
According to the Kenya Economic Survey 2019, unemployment stood at 9.3 per cent last year, with the GDP at 8.56 trillion.
In the financial year ending June 2018, the government said the economy grew by 6.3 per cent last year, generating 840,600 new jobs.
It said 83.6 per cent of the new jobs were created in the informal sector and 16.4 per cent in the formal sector.
This was a 69,400 decline from 909,800 reported in 2017.