More than 60 young people from Meru Municipality have been selected for overseas job opportunities following a recruitment drive held at Kinoru under the Kazi Majuu program, an initiative aimed at connecting Kenyan youth with employment opportunities abroad.
The exercise, which targeted motorcycle riders and other casual workers, attracted large numbers of young people seeking a chance to work in Dubai.
The recruitment was conducted through a partnership between the office of Municipality Member of County Assembly Caleb Mutethia and Think North Agencies.
Speaking during the exercise, Mutethia said the current recruitment focused on opportunities available in Dubai, noting that many youths in the area had shown interest in seeking jobs overseas due to limited opportunities locally. He said the program has already benefited dozens of young people from the municipality.
“We want to thank Think North agency that has been conducting the recruitment because in Municipality alone, we have been able to recruit more than 60 qualified bodaboda riders,” said Mutethia.
The MCA said the initiative would not stop in the municipality, adding that the recruitment team would extend the exercise to other parts of the county in a bid to reach more young people in need of employment. He noted that the next recruitment exercise would be held in Maili Tatu in the lower Nyambene region.
Mutethia urged residents to attend the upcoming exercise in large numbers, saying many young people had the skills required for the available jobs but lacked information and exposure to such opportunities. He explained that most of the positions available abroad were casual jobs that did not require advanced academic qualifications.
“Tomorrow we are going to extend to the lower part of Nyambene where we will be in Maili Tatu and people should turn out in large numbers for this opportunity,” said Mutethia.
The MCA also hailed a new financing arrangement that is expected to ease the burden on applicants who previously struggled to raise travel and agency fees required for overseas jobs. He noted that many qualified youth had in the past missed such opportunities because of the high costs involved in processing travel documents and air tickets.
Mutethia noted that engagements between the agency, employers and other stakeholders have resulted in a support arrangement where successful applicants will receive financial assistance in the form of a loan. He said that the loan will later be recovered gradually from their salaries after securing employment abroad.
In addition, Caleb said the arrangement has significantly reduced the amount applicants are required to raise before travelling, with most now expected to contribute less than Sh50,000 compared to the over Sh230,000 that many were previously paying on their own.
“These are casual jobs and hence they don’t require much of the qualifications like maybe the bike riders only need you to know how to ride a motorcycle. If it is working in the warehouse, you need to be fit and have good health and you only need to apply for your medical examination,” said Mutethia.
Julius Rutere, a representative from Think North Agencies described the recruitment drive as successful, saying the turnout and number of successful applicants reflects the growing demand for overseas opportunities among Kenyan youth.
Rutere explained that the agency has been moving to different regions in search of qualified motorcycle delivery riders and other workers needed in foreign countries. He encouraged young people not to fear applying for overseas opportunities, assuring them that the process was legitimate and aimed at helping them secure stable employment.
“We have had a successful recruitment exercise, with more than 60 people selected and given an opportunity to travel to Dubai for work. I encourage young people not to fear coming forward to explore such opportunities,” said Rutere.
Some of the selected youth expressed optimism that the program would help improve their livelihoods and support their families. Many said they had struggled with unemployment and irregular earnings despite working in the transport sector for years.
Among them was Wilson Kinyua, a bodaboda rider in Meru Municipality, who praised the initiative and termed it a rare opportunity for local youth seeking greener pastures abroad.
“We are very happy because our leader Caleb Mutethia has worked tirelessly to secure these opportunities for us to travel to Dubai and get jobs. I urge fellow youth to come out and take advantage of such opportunities,” said Kinyua.
