Nairobi: Kenya churns over one million youths into the labor market every year, where the government only absorbs a mere 200,000. The country is a youthful nation with more than 16 million people not in any form of employment, spiking up poverty levels.
According to Kenya News Agency, data from the World Bank shows over 3.4 million young people below the age of 35 are not engaged in any form of employment, as institutions of higher learning churn out over a million youths to the job market every year. Data from the International Labour Organization (ILO) shows that the unemployment rate in Kenya decreased to 5.40 percent in 2024 from 5.60 percent in 2023. The Kenyan government has repeatedly emphasized its commitment to stemming unemployment through initiatives like the Hustler Fund, youth enterprise loans, and improved policies for small traders.
These interventions, the government says, are meant to uplift ordinary citizens striving to make a living through informal businesses. The Hustler Fund is a digital financial inclusion initiative designed to improve financial access to responsible finance for personal, micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Kenya. This loan is designed to help hustlers and small business owners access money when they need it most.
More recently, the government introduced the National Youth Opportunities towards Advancement (NYOTA) programme. It is a national youth programme targeting young people across Kenya to promote employment, entrepreneurship, income generation, and youth savings and financial security. NYOTA is an initiative aimed at boosting employment and incomes for vulnerable youth by providing skills development, entrepreneurship support, mentorship, and access to enterprise equipment and funding.
Despite these efforts, many youth continue to yearn for more efforts and policies that can uplift their standards of living. The real story of the hustler economy lives in places like Hekima area in Kisumu, where 24-year-old John Oyugi begins his day long before most households wake up. John stepped into the mama mboga business, which is a domain of women, two years ago after finishing his secondary education, with determination and an initial capital of Sh3,800.
Today, the young trader makes between Sh700 and Sh1,200 on a good day, although rainy days, slow evenings, or unpredictable market prices can cut that income by half. Despite being the exact kind of youth the government says it is trying to support, John admits that he has tried applying for the Hustler Fund, the Youth Enterprise Development Fund, and other government programmes but with no success.
John’s challenges mirror those of countless young traders across Kenya: unstable income, rising market prices, high competition, harsh weather, and the lack of proper structures or designated areas to operate from. When asked what the government could do differently, John speaks with optimism about the need for easier access to loans, market stalls with roofs, and protection for small traders.
Looking ahead, John dreams of expanding his business. He wants a bigger stall, proper storage, and eventually a wholesale supply operation for hotels, restaurants, and schools in Kisumu. His journey is a living testament to the resilience of Kenya’s youth, building a future with their own hands, even as they wait with anticipation for a better tomorrow.
Stories like John’s remind us that the heartbeat of the hustler economy is found out there in the villages, in the dusty roads, wooden stalls, and raw determination of young men and women who refuse to give up. His journey challenges the narrative that youth must wait for perfect conditions to start and exposes the gap between government promises and the reality on the ground.
