1. The document discusses unemployment in Kenya and proposes new models of education to address it. 2. Unemployment in Kenya is attributed to a skills mismatch between what universities teach and what the job market requires. While access to education has increased, the economy cannot absorb all those entering the workforce each year. 3. Mount Kenya University is taking steps to reform education, such as emphasizing practical and entrepreneurship training, conducting industry partnerships, and funding student innovation. The goal is to match education with the needs of the 21st century job market.

1. Implementing New
Models To Address
Unemployment: A
Kenya’s Perspective.
Henry Yatich, Ph.D.
Director of Technical Support, Content
Development and Design
Mount Kenya University, Kenya
Going Global 2019
13-15 May 2019,
Berlin Congress Center, Germany
Going Global 2019 1

2. Introduction
• Education remains as the most powerful weapon that can be used to change
the world…Nelson Mandela.
• Globally, all leaders and citizens ought to recognize the power of education
as a unifying force that brings together individuals from diverse cultures,
religions, economies, and beliefs to discuss matters affecting modern and
future life and chart ways for a better tomorrow.
• Reforms in Education has sought to dismantle centralized educational
bureaucracies so as to create systems that emphasize efficiency, choice and
competition. Thus creating quasi-markets in educational services (Whitty and
Power, 2000).
• Governance therefore, becomes key in ensuring reforms are matched with resource
availability in an atmosphere of transparency and accountability so as to enhance
continued innovative strategies of quality teaching and learning.
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3. Unemployment in Brief
• Unemployment remains a political and economic challenge in the 21st century, hence
a global challenge.
• The global annual unemployment rate as of 2018 stood at 5.3%. European Area had
8.2%, Germany at 3.4%, USA at 3.9%, UK at 4% and Japan at 2.4% (OECD, 2019).
• Annual unemployment rate as of 2018 in Kenya is placed at 7.4% (KNBS, 2018).
• Skills mismatch has received and continues to receive renewed attention as the
“major constraint” in both advanced and developing economies (ILO, 2014).
• Unemployment in Kenya is attributed to under-education and over-education among
university graduates who lack the practical skills required by the labour market (FKE,
2018; ILO, 2017; Handel et al., 2017; Hall, 2017; & CUE, 2016).
• Technologies also, continue to replace lower-pay jobs making them redundant,
exasperating. On the flipside, new technologies create possibilities in innovative
ventures.
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4. A Peak into Education in Kenya
• The Government of Kenya In 2003, introduced the “free” primary
education programme (FPE) to boost access to education.
• In 2008, the government of Kenya introduced the “free” secondary
education programme (FSE) to boost access to secondary education.
• As a result, approx. 1.1million Kenya Certificate of Primary Education
candidates (KCPE) (^6.7%) were enrolled in 2018.
• Approx. 660,000 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE)
(^7.1%) candidates were sat for the examinations (KNBS, 2019).
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5. Students Joining HE in Kenya-2018
• Candidates who scored a minimum university entry score of C+ (plus) and above,
rose by 29.8% to Approx. 91,000 in 2018 (KNBS, 2019).
• Candidates who scored between C (plain) and D+ (plus) was approx. 226,000.
• Candidates who scored D (plain) and below stood at 343,897.
• Both public and private universities (71) can accommodate approx. 100,000
applicants per year (83,675 in 2018/2019).
• The difference in those entering university joined TVET in 2018. Hence, putting
pressure on the existing facilities and locking out those with lower grades.
• Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET/TTCs) have been expanded to
accommodate approx. 300,000 students annually against approx. 580,000 locked out
by university admission/qualification (KNBS, 2018).
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6. Employers Concerns
• Hence, companies spend approx. Between 20,000 to 100,000 KES to
train these graduates.
Source: FKE, 2018
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7. Job creation in Kenya:2015-2018
132.1
87.6 114.4
78.4
715.2 742.1
795.4
762.2
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
2015 2016 2017 2018
Job Creation in Kenya ('000)
Formal Sector Informal Sector
Source: KNBS, 2019
• Each year, Approx. 1million young people join the workforce against the sum total
of annual job creation, increasing unemployment (840,600 in 2018).
• It is important to note that the economy is not able to absorb the workforce
entering the market. Going Global 2019 7

8. What do the unemployed do?
• According to the British media (daily mail), doctorate candidates in UK pay £2,000
(Sh264,000) to £6,000 for dissertations.
• “Kenya is the hotbed where the writing happens. There is high unemployment and a
job working from home is coveted. They have good English and low overheads,” Dr
Thomas Lancaster, a senior fellow at Imperial College, London, was quoted by the
British press as saying (Daily mail and Daily nation).
• The allure for quick money pushes some to betting (more than 20 firms registered in
kenya), crime, drug abuse and other social ills (such as fraudsters).
• Few venture into entrepreneurship, while others surrender to hope for a job
opportunity to arise.
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9. The New CBC System of Education:
2.6.6.3
• The first candidates to join university under the new CBC is expected to
be 2030/2031 (12 years from now).
Source: KICD, 2017
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10. Pillars of the New CBC: 2.6.6.3
• The new education framework (2-
6-6.3) has been implemented
since 2017 to replace the current
8.4.4 system which has been in
existence since 1985.
• The new system is geared towards
enabling learners to become
engaged, empowered and provide
world class standards in skill,
knowledge and competence that
is needed to thrive in the 21st
century.
Source: KICD, 2017
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11. Role of Higher Education-MKU perspective
• University managers, through participatory approach should match its resource base with shared
novel models of education such as the practical-oriented model-which is currently being started in
the country and aim for home-grown solutions and interventions:
• MKU has invested a seed capital of annual 100,000 USD for the Vice-Chancellor’s Research and
Innovation grant which has led to the best global innovation award winner in April 2019 in Bahrain.
• Mount Kenya University Mentorship, Innovation and Enterprise Fund (MIEF)received a generous
initial 5-year funding from the University management through injection of USD400,000 in 2015
into the MIEF. From the fund, a total of 10 young apprentices (innovators/entrepreneurs) will
benefit with initial seed grant of 8,000USD per year for every innovative business idea they
competitively submit.
• Chairman’s Innovation and Enterprise Award (CIEA) recognizes outstanding innovators as an
incentive and a gesture of appreciation for their altruism during every graduation ceremony.
• MKU through is GEA has entered into an exchange programme with the University of the West of
Scotland for Centre for African research on enterprise and economic development (CAREED). This
will see students from both universities benefit from an exchange programme in the areas of
entrepreneur and economic research.
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12. Role of Higher Education-MKU perspective
• The Students Training for Entrepreneurial Promotion (STEP) has been introduced at MKU.
STEP at MKU ( or STEP@MKU) targets the 2nd year students from any degree program at
Thika Campus to start with as a pilot project before it is introduced at other campuses.
• STEP is offered in about 15 countries throughout the world by Leuphana University
(Germany).
• In Kenya, it is offered in collaboration with Kenya National Commission for UNESCO
(KNATCOM-UNESCO) and the hosting university (MKU in this case).
• Curriculum review and other collaborative engagements with industry stakeholders is
also underway with the first breakfast meeting with industry held on 21st February 2019
and SWISSCONTACT in April 2019 to review Bachelor of Commerce programme.
• Stop-Gap Measure: For example“Generation”, a project funded by USAID, McKinsey &
Company, Safaricom and SIDA was initiated to bridge the skill gap. It targets the
graduated youth in preparing for job duties. Since 2015, they have graduated over
13,000 with 90% of them gaining employment.
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13. Conclusion
There is an old saying that, “if you give a man/woman a fish, you feed
him for a day, but if you teach him/her how to fish, you feed him/her
for a lifetime”..
Suggested question:
“How relevant are different models of governance to local
challenges in varied contexts?”
Thank You ALL
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