Hundreds of young job seekers were left frustrated outside Eldoret National Polytechnic in Uasin Gishu County on Thursday after arriving for a foreign job recruitment exercise that never took place.
The exercise, which had been advertised by the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, had attracted applicants from various counties, many of whom traveled long distances in search of employment opportunities abroad.
Hopeful applicants, some as early as 5 a.m., queued outside the institution’s gates, expecting a seamless recruitment process.
However, they were met with disappointment when security officers informed them that there was no such scheduled event.
Anger Among Youth
The agitated youth expressed their disappointment, with some questioning the government’s sincerity in addressing unemployment. Many had spent their last savings or borrowed money to afford transport, with some parents reportedly selling chickens to raise bus fare for their children.
“It is very frustrating; some of us have come from far, and our parents had to sell chicken to get us bus fare. Can President William Ruto address this issue? Is this a real government initiative, or is it fake?” lamented one of the job seekers, Marius.
The crowd, growing increasingly restless, demanded answers from authorities, calling for better communication and transparency from the government regarding job recruitment exercises.
Similar Chaos Reported in Kisii
This incident mirrors a similar case in Kisii County just a week earlier, where over 200 youth turned up at Kisii National Polytechnic for a job recruitment exercise also advertised by the Labour Ministry.
Like in Eldoret, job seekers who had traveled long distances arrived at the institution only to find that no government officials were present to conduct the exercise.
Many of the affected youths voiced their concerns on social media, criticizing the government for what they described as false hope and lack of coordination in addressing the country’s unemployment crisis.
Recruitment Put on Hold
In response to the confusion, Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua told Citizen TV that his ministry had issued a notice in early December putting the recruitment exercise on hold.
Mutua explained that the government was focusing on processing job offers in pilot counties before expanding the recruitment process nationwide.
He assured job seekers that new dates would be announced once the system was fully streamlined to avoid further confusion.
“We had to temporarily pause the recruitment process to ensure that everything is in place, especially for those counties that were already selected for the pilot program. We regret any inconveniences caused,” Mutua said.
Calls for Better Coordination and Communication
The chaos surrounding the recruitment process has raised concerns about the government’s approach to handling job creation and youth employment.
Critics argue that the miscommunication reflects deeper structural issues in government job programs.
Many job seekers are now calling on the Ministry of Labour to improve its communication strategy and ensure that recruitment exercises are properly coordinated to prevent similar disappointments in the future.
With thousands of young people struggling to find employment, such incidents only deepen frustration and uncertainty among Kenyan youth eager for job opportunities.
