Getting a job in Kenya can be a nightmare, with millions of graduates scrambling for the few white caller jobs available in the country. It is almost impossible to find an official job in Kenya today.
According to the 2020 statistics released by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KEBS), some 5.3 million youths in Kenya are unemployed, widening the poverty gap in the country.
A new report shows that it takes a university graduate 5 years to get a job in Kenya. To bridge the gap, most Kenyans regardless of their education background have resorted to doing ordinary jobs to earn a living.
Here are some of the jobs that employ many people in Nairobi today:
Hawking
Hawking is one of the common businesses embraced by many Nairobians. Reports indicate that there are over 50,000 hawkers in Nairobi with the CBD hosting over 20,000 of them. The report further indicate that these people make an average of between Ksh1,000 to Ksh5,000 a day. They are embraced by many customers due to their quality products sold at affordable prices.
Washing cars
The car wash business in Nairobi is a safe bet for many youths. Washing a normal car costs Ksh200 while washing big vehicles like buses and lorries cost Ksh500 at ordinary car wash centers. It is one of the booming businesses in Nairobi as many people own cars in the city. However, just like any other business, it requires a great deal of patience, strategy, and time management.
Carpentry
Carpentry businesses including building, maintaining, repairing, or renovating residential and commercial buildings provide crucial job opportunities for many Kenyan to earn a living. Most of carpenters in Kenya make an average of up to Ksh.12,600 a week.
Welding
The welding industry in Kenya is has shown an exponential growth over the years with millions of Kenyans earning a living from the industry. Kenyan welders make up to Ksh.5,000 a day depending on the type and the location of the job done.
Selling Smokies
Many Kenyans like eating smokies and this provides good business opportunity for many youths in the country. You will see many of them on the road sides with their vending trolleys, ready to serve their customers. These people make an average of between Ksh.1,000 and Ksh.2,500 profits a day.
Mjengo
Every day or quite often a building will come up somewhere close to where you live, this doesn’t require a lot skills and most men opt to work in a mjengo where they are paid on daily or weekly basis.
Reports show that about one million Kenyans work in the construction industry with Nairobi accounting for about 300,000 people. Most of these people work for between Ksh.500 to Ksh.1,800 a day depending on the job group.
Beauty Industry
Many young ladies in Kenya make some good money from the beauty and cosmetics industry. Depending on the business location and type of service, they can make an average profit of between Ksh.3,000 to Ksh.15,000 a day.
Content Creation/ Blogging
Many youth make thousands and millions of shillings through content creation. You can never go wrong with a career in content. The world is consuming content at the rate of many gigabytes per second, so the demand will increases day by day. In some jobs, simply having video editing, writing, or public speaking skills is enough to earn you some good money.
Social Media management.
Social media management includes Digital marketing and graphics design which are the big things right now, with Search Engine Optimization experts taking the central role in companies and websites growth.
Coaching
Many graduates today coach many primary and secondary school children on various subjects like Mathematics, Physics, Biology, French, German, English, Kiswahili, Science among others to earn a living. Most of them make up to Ksh.3,000 a day or even more depending on the kind of families they engage.
Other youths also train people on sports and body fitness to earn a living. Youth in this field can also make between Ksh.1,500 to Ksh.3,500 a day.
