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Graduates call on government to create jobs to prevent drug use

Graduates call on government to create jobs to prevent drug use

Graduates have appealed to the government to focus more on job creation so that they can be freed from the constraints of unemployment that drives them to drug use.

During the graduation ceremony of the Milestone Institute of Professional Studies (MIPS) where 600 graduates received their diplomas and certificates in various disciplines, the youths lamented that unemployment is making thousands of them unproductive and pushing them into anti-social habits such as alcoholism, drug abuse and criminality.

Led by Isabela Mugechi and Stephen Njoroge, they said the time is ripe for the government to create sustainable avenues that will create jobs and enable the educated youth to lead a decent life.

“The dire unemployment situation faced by many graduates is alarming. The young and energetic unemployed population…forces us to demand solutions from a government that promised them answers to their challenges,” Mugechi said.

MIPS graduates are pondering their next steps as they wait to be sent into the job market. The picture is bleak and hopeless as they face a tough search.

She claimed that despite their investments and education at higher educational institutions, they eventually become frustrated, lose hope and fall into depression.

She noted that the government should also cut red tape in obtaining state funding so that they can set up their own income-generating enterprises.

“We have skills and technical know-how but the biggest problem is accessing or securing seed capital to start our own businesses. There are numerous government funding opportunities but accessing the funds is usually a challenge. We want the process to be simplified so that we can set up our own businesses and also create jobs,” Mugechi claimed.

Njoroge pleaded with the state to simplify the procedure for obtaining travel documents, including visas and passports, so that they could seek work abroad.

“Despite assurances from government that the process will be smooth through improved bilateral and diplomatic relations with other countries, the problem continues to repeat itself, leaving many of us jobless and hopeless in the country,” Njoroge said.

MIPS Founder and Director George Maina during the graduation ceremony in Thika on Friday. He asked the government to involve other states in opening their economies to Kenyan youth.

This was echoed by MIPS Founder and Director George Maina, who called on the government to engage other states with labour shortages to create opportunities for educated Kenyan youth.

“The government has increased the export of skilled labour to other countries as it wants to tackle unemployment in the country. We hope that our government will reach out to more countries so that our skilled youth can get well-paid jobs in those countries,” Maina said.

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