Random Musings, Mutterings and Delusions of a Mad Hiker III

Back in our first visit to Nairobi, we went to the university to meet and mingle with Kenyan students. In the discussions that I had with my guide, he revealed that the pressures to succeed were immense due to competition. Because of a lack of development in all employment sectors (service, commercial, and industrial,) only 30% of university graduates can find work suited to their academic qualifications. Almost all of these people (the lucky 30%) were hired by the government as teachers, civil servants, doctors, and nurses. Although all of these positions face dire shortages, current monetary allocations by the government prevent it from hiring more people. Thus the question remains: what happens to the other 70%? Where do they go and what do they end up doing with their lives? Here is a population of dispossessed intellectuals who invested the majority of their youth in a struggle to obtain higher education. Their families and communities often sacrificed resources as an investment in hope that better education will provide more economic opportunities. Often if these youths are unable to find suitable work after graduation, they are met with scorn and stigmatized as failures within their families and communities. But sadly, it is usually not for the lack of effort that these youths do not succeed, it is that the system is not adequate to provide them with these opportunities.

It seems that this problem of increased competition for limited jobs requiring education will only become worse now that primary education is universal and universal secondary education is in the works. Unless Kenya can counterbalance this large influx of educated youths with a comparable increase in job opportunities, they will end up increasing this population of dispossessed intellectuals. But to return to the question of what happens to these people: back in Nguruman, we met a variety of such people. One man, John, had returned and taken over the group ranch, becoming a powerful and respected figure in the community. Another, Steve, had used his secondary education to improve his farm and make educated decisions in exploiting market opportunities. However, his brother Jack, became disillusioned with his inability to find suitable work. He refused to take a job that required less than a university degree, thinking it beneath him. However, the more he looked and the longer he waited, the more disillusioned he became and eventually turned to alcoholism. His discourse reflected this disillusionment as he rambled and lamented incessantly about a lack of infrastructure for both his community and Kenya as a whole. He seemed to be lost in a dream world of theories and concepts. However, due to his alcohol dependence and connected self-imposed inability to generate income, he had lost the respect of his family and community (his brother persistently apologized for his brother’s ramblings and openly insulted him.)

Although I am aware that they represent only a small percentage of the population, I believe that the existence of this tendency of disillusionment followed by a substance dependency is one of many symptoms of structural problems in Kenya.

This situation seemed to be isolated until we went to Mathare. There I was accosted by several of these “drunk intellectuals” who similarly indicated a high level of education through their eloquence in English, and knowledge of global issues (one even showed me his diploma from Moi University, whipping it out from a tattered old briefcase that he carried around with him.) They constantly wanted to know my opinions on economic and political issues (mixed with requests for me to buy them a Tusker or two.) Their tones reflected a similar disillusionment with the current system that I had found in Jack’s discourse. Although I am aware that they represent only a small percentage of the population, I believe that the existence of this tendency of disillusionment followed by a substance dependency is one of many symptoms of structural problems in Kenya. I cannot confirm these assumptions unless I gather a series of their histories and find actual discernable trends. Until I can do this…this is merely speculation.

It seems that in an ideal world Kenya would increase the hiring of nurses, doctors, teachers and civil servants. (If the IMF and World Bank let Kenya hire who they wanted this too would be a great benefit but that rant is for another day.) But it cannot be only up to the government to absorb the excess labor as this does not lend itself to a sustainable economy. It would be necessary to increase the amount of technical skills by a public campaign emphasizing the benefits of this educational path. China and India’s focus on electronics and computer engineering has allowed them to attract massive amounts of investment from foreign and domestic firms to hire these skilled intellectuals. However, the past trend in Kenya; although it is slowly changing, is to educate people primarily in the service sector and not having the ability to absorb all of those who are trained. In our visit to the Elangata Wuas School, I asked all of the kids I was sitting with what they wanted to become. Out of all of them the only responses I heard were: teacher, doctor or minister. Not one aspiring engineer or biologist among them. The creation of a technically skilled population and increasing the hiring in the service sector would perhaps reverse the current trend of having an increasing population of dispossessed intellectuals.

-Amani my friends.