Football is emerging as an unlikely bridge between Kenyan youths and overseas employment opportunities, with the government using sporting events to take information on Kazi Majuu closer to young people.
Principal Secretary for Diaspora Affairs Roseline Njogu said sports offered an effective platform for engaging youths on employment opportunities abroad while also educating them on how to pursue such jobs safely.
Njogu spoke at Kinoru Stadium in Meru during the second edition of the Kazi Majuu football tournament, which brought together 64 teams from North Imenti.
Each participating team received football kits and balls as part of the initiative aimed at combining sports with youth empowerment.
She said the tournament was part of the government's three-pronged approach to tackling unemployment through Kazi kwa Ground, Kazi kwa Mtandao and Kazi Majuu.
“We are taking this opportunity to play football with young people while having conversations around the government's interventions on unemployment. We are sensitising them on how to access these opportunities and on safe labour mobility,” Njogu said.
The event also provided a platform for youths who have benefited from overseas employment programmes to share their experiences and encourage others to acquire skills that can open doors in the international labour market.
Elizabeth Wanjiru, a former student at Meru National Polytechnic, said she secured an opportunity to work in the United Kingdom after learning about the programme while undertaking her studies.
Wanjiru said she went through the recruitment interviews and successfully obtained her passport before travelling to the UK, where she worked for four months.
“Kazi Majuu is real. I was in the UK for four months and was able to make good money. I encourage fellow young people to join TVET and acquire a skill because the opportunities are there,” she said.
Another beneficiary, Shadrack Wanyonyi, said he initially doubted whether the overseas employment programme was genuine until he benefited from it.
“I thought it was just a joke, but I have realised that it is real. Young people should take advantage of these opportunities and pursue courses that give them skills,” Wanyonyi said.
Njogu said the government had facilitated about 583,000 Kenyans to access opportunities in the diaspora over the past three and a half years, with skilled workers increasingly finding demand in foreign labour markets.
She urged youths to consider technical and vocational education and training as a pathway to international employment, saying global employers were increasingly seeking workers with practical skills.
“Universities and TVET institutions have complementary roles in preparing our young people for employment,” she said.
However, Njogu warned that the growing interest in overseas jobs had also attracted fraudulent recruitment agents targeting desperate job seekers..
She urged youths seeking employment abroad to have valid passports, acquire relevant skills and deal only with licensed recruitment agencies.
She said genuine recruitment agencies should be transparent about the process and advised job seekers to be wary of individuals demanding bribes or using intimidation.
“Do not be desperate to the extent of trusting anyone who promises you a job abroad. Confirm the agency, understand the process and ensure you have the necessary documents before travelling,” Njogu said.
The PS said the government was also strengthening mechanisms to protect Kenyans working abroad and intervene in cases involving vulnerable citizens.
She cited the recent repatriation of a Kenyan child, Precious, and said the government had facilitated the return of eight children who had been left abroad over the past three years.
Njogu said the combination of youth engagement platforms such as football and access to information on employment could help more young people pursue legitimate opportunities while avoiding exploitation by unscrupulous recruiters.
