Figures released by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) show that the number of Kenyans without jobs has increased to over 2.97 million in the quarter to December 2022, as the economy shed over 80,000 jobs in the three-month run up to the August General elections (9th August 2022).

The number of people found to be unemployed was up from 2.89 million from the previous quarter, a rise of 2.94 percent.

Younger Kenyans Hardest Hit…

And it’s the young (20 to 34 years old) who are worst affected.

Over half those Kenyans who are without work, 1.54 million people, are aged between 20 and 29.

Giving Up The Search For Work…

The KNBS statistics also show that up to two-thirds of unemployed Kenyans, 67 percent, are so disillusioned that they are giving up even searching for work.

The KNBS figures covering the last quarter of 2022, suggest that 2.01 million people from a total of 2.97 million jobless Kenyans that qualify for the labour force, aged from 15 to 64 years old, are not now actively looking for work.

The agricultural sector in particular, has been hard hit by the prolonged drought, the worst in forty years.

Central Bank of Kenya Governor Patrick Njoroge, however, says he expects Kenya’s economy to grow by 5.8 percent in 2023, up from 5.6 percent in 2022.