It's not enough for State to educate youths; it should ensure they get jobs

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Kenya's 2026/27 budget allocates Sh784.5 billion to education, making it one its largest beneficiaries. This reflects a long-standing national conviction that education is both a public good and a pathway to social mobility.

Yet an uncomfortable question remains largely absent from public debate: What responsibility does the government bear for the economic fate of the graduates whose education it finances?

The discussion on unemployment is often framed incorrectly. We are told that a government cannot create jobs for everyone and therefore cannot be held accountable for graduate unemployment. While technically correct, this argument misses the central issue.

The question is not whether the government should employ every graduate. The question is whether government can continue exercising extensive control over education while disclaiming responsibility for its outcomes.

The state determines educational policy. It licenses institutions. It approves programmes. It finances public universities and colleges. It regulates quality standards. It influences enrolment numbers through funding decisions. In effect, the government plays a central role in producing graduates. Why then should it bear no measurable responsibility for their absorption into the economy?

This is a matter of public accountability. If a government invests billions in roads, citizens expect roads to be built. If it invests in healthcare, citizens expect improved health outcomes. If it invests in security, citizens expect safety. Why should higher education be the only sector where government is judged by inputs rather than outcomes?

The cost of this failure is immense. According to the Federation of Kenya Employers, between 12 and 17 per cent of young Kenyans face unemployment, underemployment, or lack access to decent work opportunities. Behind these statistics are years of lost productivity.

A graduate who spends five, six, or 10 years searching for stable employment loses more than income. They lose opportunities to acquire experience, build assets, support families, and contribute to national development. The country loses productive human capital during the very years when it should be generating its highest returns.

Let us be honest with each other. These young people are our brothers and sisters and they too deserve a decent life.

Historically, societies have often dismissed social guarantees as unrealistic. Universal education, social security, maternity protection, and workplace safety standards were all once considered economically impossible. They became realities because citizens demanded that governments move beyond aspirations and assume responsibility for outcomes. Graduate employment deserves similar treatment.

I therefore propose legislation establishing a national framework of accountability for graduate employment. First, no graduate with a diploma, degree, or equivalent qualification should remain unemployed for more than two years after graduation without government intervention. This does not mean the government must directly employ every graduate. It means it must be legally obligated to demonstrate what measures have been taken to facilitate employment, enterprise creation, public service placements, or other forms of productive engagement.

Second, Parliament should establish clear thresholds for graduate unemployment and underemployment. When these thresholds are exceeded, the responsible ministries should be required to present corrective action plans and measurable targets.

Third, every graduate should be registered within a national graduate employment tracking system. The country currently tracks taxes, births, businesses, and examinations with remarkable efficiency. Surely it can also track the employment outcomes of citizens whose education it has helped finance.

Finally, every graduate should join a ‘Graduate Job-Search Union’ to challenge persistent government failure in court. Rights without enforceable remedies are little more than political slogans.

The inevitable objection is that Kenya cannot afford such commitments. Yet the country loses hundreds of billions of shillings annually to corruption and inefficiency. The issue is not the absence of resources but the allocation of priorities. We have accepted accountability for fiscal deficits, inflation, and public debt. We should be equally willing to demand accountability for the economic future of our young people.

Citizens pay taxes, obey laws, and invest years in education because they believe society will provide a reasonable opportunity for advancement. When a government repeatedly encourages young people to study, graduate, and remain hopeful while offering no measurable accountability for what follows, that social contract begins to weaken.

Dr Mokua is the Executive Director, Loyola Centre for Media and Communication