On Thursday, in Uasin Gishu County, a large crowd of young people found themselves stranded outside the gates of Eldoret Polytechnic.

This happened after they traveled from different parts of the county, hoping to take part in a foreign job recruitment exercise that had been widely advertised by the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection.

However, despite their enthusiasm and early arrival, many of them were left deeply frustrated and disappointed.

Early that morning, before the sun had even risen, hundreds of hopeful youth made their way to the institution, eager to seize what they believed was a golden opportunity for employment abroad.

Some of them had set out on their journey the previous night, while others had woken up as early as 3 a.m. to ensure they reached the venue on time. By 5 a.m.

A significant number of them were already standing outside the gate, waiting patiently for the exercise to begin. However, things did not go as expected.

No recruitment exercise

Instead of finding officials ready to guide them through the recruitment process, the young job seekers were met with an unexpected roadblock.

Security officers at the gate informed them that there was no such recruitment exercise scheduled to take place at the institution. Many could hardly believe what they were hearing.

They had relied on the official information posted on the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection’s website. Therefore, it was shocking and disheartening to be told that no such event was happening.

As time passed, frustration and anger grew among the youth. One of them, Chepkarai Marius from Kesses sub-county, did not hold back his disappointment.

He strongly criticized the government for failing to deliver on its promises and not following through with the information it had posted online.

He expressed his deep frustration, saying that unemployed young people were already struggling, and the government was only making things worse.

Painful sacrifices

Speaking with a heavy heart, Marius explained how much effort many of them had put into making it to the venue that day.

Some had traveled long distances overnight, while others had made painful sacrifices just to afford transportation.

In fact, he revealed that some parents had been forced to sell their chickens just to raise enough money for their children’s bus fare.

With emotions running high, he pleaded with President William Ruto to step in and address the issue. He questioned whether the job recruitment was a genuine government initiative or simply a scam designed to mislead desperate job seekers.

Unfortunately, this was not the first time something like this had happened. Just a week earlier, a similar situation unfolded in Kisii County.

Over 200 young people had gathered at Kisii National Polytechnic, responding to another job recruitment exercise that had been publicized by the Labour Ministry.

However, just like in Eldoret, they arrived only to find no officials present and no recruitment process taking place.

After the latest incident in Eldoret, many demanded answers from the government. In response to the growing outcry, Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua spoke to Citizen TV, where he attempted to clarify the situation.

Recruitment had been put on hold

He stated that his ministry had issued a notice in early December, informing the public that the recruitment exercise had been put on hold.

According to him, the government had decided to allow pilot counties to process initial job offers before expanding the program and announcing new dates.

Despite this explanation, many of the affected youth and their families felt that the government had failed them.

They argued that proper communication should have been made earlier to prevent unnecessary travel and financial strain.

As frustration continues to build, many young people are left wondering whether they can truly trust government job advertisements or if they are simply being misled time and time again.

Follow https://kenyaonline.xyz