University graduates have been asked to leave comfort zones and put their degrees to good use by looking for or creating opportunities even when youth unemployment was a growing headache.
Prof Olive Mugenda, the chancellor of KCA University, has challenged every graduate to step up search for glory in their professions towards making the world a better place.
During the university’s 14th graduation ceremony on Dec 2, Prof Mugenda said “there is a difference between one who sits at home with their degree and the one knocking doors”. She told the 2,886 graduands not to feel shy or be limited at a time there is a big divide between the so-called marketable and non-marketable courses.
“Attain extra skills and sell them without fear,” the former Kenyatta University vice-chancellor said, adding that graduates have to offer their specialisations and knowledge by going “an extra mile”.
KCA vice-chancellor Isaiah Wakindiki asked the graduands to “live a life of discovery” because there is no limit to what a committed individual can attain.
Prof Wakindiki asked the graduating class to put powers conferred on them to good use.
They were speaking at a time youth unemployment has been growing in Kenya and more graduates were finding it more difficult to secure jobs and were instead joining the growing band of “hustlers’ in the informal sector as hawkers, motorbike riders — well known as boda bodas– and taxi drivers. While a small number has registered success in such ‘jua kali’ jobs that some claim are demeaning, a huge percentage of the jobless say another hurdle is access to capital with which to start a business.
Kenya’s new government, under President William Ruto, has launched a fund for people at the bottom of the economic pyramid called Hustler Fund whose loans start at Sh500 up to Sh50,000 at annualised rate of eight percent, far much lower than the private digital loans offered at a yearly rate of up to 360 percent.
Young Kenyans looking for work and can’t find it is at 39 percent or more than five million people, according to the 2019 census.
Prof Mugenda asked KCA University to train every student in leadership at no extra cost to help the learners “operate with the future in mind”.
Sitoyo Lopokoyit, the university’s council chairman, asked the youth to keep learning, work harder, be determined, disciplined and patient in their search for social and economic glory. Mr Lopokoyit, who is the M-Pesa Africa managing director, challenged people entering the job market to hold their horses while learning on the job before asking for a salary raise.
The M-Pesa boss told the youth to learn, unlearn and relearn technology because “the internet is your friend”. It is increasingly becoming necessary to have more than proficiency in information technology or ICT as more organisations grow their online presence and use such spaces to recruit, train, and share crucial data and information in which lies various opportunities that are critical to professional growth.
Pius Odhiambo, who heads Blue Nile Analytica– a data science training programme– has asked universities in Africa to introduce common units in data science as volumes of data grow and require expert mining to design growth insights.
