More Kenyan youth join informal employment as jobs become thin

The ongoing road construction at Mariakani area in Kilifi County in this photo taken on January 14, 2026.

Photo credit: Kevin Odit | Nation Media Group

More Kenyan youth have over the last two years been forced to take up informal jobs despite being well educated as formal employment opportunities diminish, a new study has shown.

Some 754,185 Kenyan youth, aged 15 to 35, have taken up informal openings from 2024 to date, raising the rate of informal employment among them to 91.5 percent currently from 90.2 percent two years ago.

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Note: The results are not exact but very close to the actual.