Unemployment poses greater risk to development

By Josphat Manzi

Unemployment is among the challenges that have bedeviled Kyuso like any other part of the country. Many youths are increasingly becoming jobless every day because of luck of opportunities to offer their services. Some have chosen to engage themselves in nay activities so as to earn a living giving rise to insecurity.

A number of issues have been attributed to rise of youth unemployment in Kyuso. Chief among them is the aspect of many youths opting to find formal engagements instead of working in the artisan industries. They find jobs in the informal sectors tedious and without ‘clean money’.

Kyuso is the one of the districts in the larger Kitui County that is endowed with mineral resources. Some of the minerals that have been found include limestone in Kyuso south near Gai and gemstone in Kyuso west. Lack of mining companies and manufacturing industries that can make good use of these resources has largely contributed to youth unemployment. The area is not agriculturally productive but since it is rich in minerals, it has not helped to solve problems within the society.

The general spread of corruption within the society has not spared this semi-arid region. Youths from poor backgrounds opt to stay away from seeking employment for fear that they cannot offer anything in exchange for a job. The most privileged only are considered for few vacancies that arise.

Youths in kyuso center smoking (Photo: Josphat Maluki/KVC)

The many NGOs dotted around the district have made faces of residents beam with smile. They have put up aggressive efforts to turn around livelihoods of the residents. They have facilitated innovative knowledge exchange or dug up boreholes and constructed dams.

Residents are pleading for more development projects to be initiated in the area to enable them improve their livelihoods. They are also asking the leadership to take pragmatic steps to reduce to boost development in Kyuso district.