Rural to Urban Migration on the rise

By Rose Mwasya

Population in urban areas is increasing day by day. Consequently, the population in rural areas is decreasing. In kyuso district, significant number of young people has moved to urban areas in search of green pastures, leaving an image of deserted homesteads. The population here basically consists of elderly people who are comparatively less active to push forward the development agenda of this area.

Photo by geography GCSE

Idleness among young people has been rampant recently. Some youths here engage in activities such as alcohol abuse and other drugs. This can in turn result to social crimes such as theft which results to insecurity.

This has left many of the residents here with many questions as to who will be responsible for the growth and development of these rural areas. According to Mutie, a resident in kyuso district, many young people get frustrated after completing their studies and move to urban areas to look for employment. He therefore urges the government to put a proper framework for the young people to empower themselves economically. This may in turn reduce rural to urban migration whereby which has led to congestion due to over population in major towns and cities.

Initiatives such as youth enterprise development fund however, can be useful to those young people wishing to become job creators rather than job seekers. This may in turn lead to young people pushing forward the development agenda in rural areas.

However, according to mwikali a business lady in kyuso town says there is need for mobilization of the young people to start focusing on entrepreneurship since agriculture seems not to bear much fruits as the climate is not favorable. On this issue, the government in rural areas needs to take an action in order to inform and educate young people on the issues of economic growth.