Someone should tell us Kenya’s current level of unemployment

During the rebasing ceremony at the KICC grounds, Nairobi — they hired a giant tent rather than use free halls, meaning public money was lost — one participant asked a sensitive question: Kenya’s level of unemployment. Answer: Nine to 12 per cent.

In the US it ranges between six and the politically unacceptable 12 per cent, at which point the government of the day would fall. Riots in Greece and Portugal erupted when unemployment exceeded 25 per cent. In some EU countries, the threshold for public anger is even lower.

That the government would have us believe Kenya is doing better than EU countries is yet another wonder of the world.

HIDING THE TRUTH

The statistics bureau has done a stellar job of hiding this vital truth. Whereas job statistics are quoted in the Economic Survey 2014, there is nothing on unemployment.

However one can glean the statistics from other sources. The Standard Bank puts the level of people living below the poverty line at 93 per cent.

Ipsos Synovate puts it at 80 per cent. So unemployment could be as high 75 per cent. Of 40 million Kenyans, only 20,000 have mortgages!

Whereas Europeans would riot, Kenyans have no benefit of past reference points. So there is insufficient anger in seeing the link between poor government employment strategies and the public’s misery — hunger, illness and ultimate early death.

KARIUKI MUIRI, Karatina