📌 Why Are Kenyan Youth Fearing Responsibility?

Kenya is a young, energetic nation. Walk through any Nairobi estate, rural market center, or university campus, and you’ll see bright, talented young people. Yet behind the vibrancy lies an unsettling reality: a growing number of youth are reluctant to embrace traditional responsibilities like financial independence, family leadership, and civic engagement. This is not merely a generational quirk — it’s a complex, multi-layered issue deeply tied to Kenya’s socio-economic, cultural, and educational landscape.

How This Fear Shows Up in Real Life

It’s not hard to notice:

• A 28-year-old man still living with his parents in Kayole, avoiding job applications because he feels jobs are for “those who know people.”
• A university graduate in Kisumu chasing online betting, hoping for a quick jackpot instead of pursuing stable employment.
• A young woman in Meru dropping out of college after realizing her certificate might not guarantee a job, opting instead to sell cosmetics online but reluctant to formalize it as a business.

These are everyday realities that illustrate a broader crisis — the fear of taking on long-term, adult responsibilities.

What’s Driving This Trend?

1️⃣ Economic Hardship and Unemployment

The biggest culprit is the harsh economy. Kenya’s youth unemployment rate hovers around 13-17%, with more than 800,000 young people joining the job market yearly against only about 100,000 formal jobs.

Real-life case:
John, a 26-year-old graduate in Eldoret, has applied for over 40 jobs in the past two years — with no response. Disillusioned, he now operates a boda boda (motorbike taxi), but feels unable to save or plan for a family. “How can I marry when I can’t even pay my own rent?” he asks.

• Skill Mismatch: Many university graduates like John are finding that their degrees don’t translate into marketable skills.
• High Living Costs: Even employed youths in Nairobi’s CBD often resort to side hustles like hawking perfumes or selling mitumba clothes to supplement their salaries, unable to meet rent, transport, and family obligations.
• Corruption and Nepotism:
  Susan from Nakuru recounts attending interviews only to be told later, “Hii kazi ilikuwa ishapewa mtu” (this job was already taken). It’s demoralizing and fuels a sense that effort doesn’t count.

2️⃣ An Education System Focused on Exams, Not Life

Kenya’s education system has traditionally emphasized grades over practical skills.

Real-life case:
Peter, a 24-year-old from Machakos, graduated with a diploma in business administration but admits, “I left college without knowing how to start or run a small business.” He’s now learning through YouTube tutorials how to manage a mitumba stall.

• Lack of entrepreneurship programs and soft skills training leaves many young people academically qualified but practically unprepared for adulthood.

3️⃣ Shifting Cultural Norms and Lost Mentorship

In traditional Kenyan communities, elders provided guidance on adulthood, marriage, and responsibility. That structure is fading.

Example:
In the past, young men in Luo or Kikuyu communities would be inducted into adulthood through rites of passage. Today, such practices are less common, and mentorship has been replaced by social media influencers and celebrities whose lifestyles promote quick wealth and leisure.

Real-life case:
Mary, a 22-year-old university student in Thika, says, “Why struggle with responsibilities when people my age are making millions on TikTok dancing or advertising products?”

4️⃣ The Digital Age and Social Media Pressures

With constant exposure to Western lifestyles via Instagram, TikTok, and Netflix, many youths aspire to soft, glamorous lives that seem to bypass the hard, slow journey of responsibility.

Example:
Kevin from Nairobi quit his job as a supermarket attendant to start online forex trading after watching a YouTube video of a Kenyan ‘forex millionaire.’ He lost his savings in two months and now feels trapped, unwilling to return to formal employment but without other options.

Moral Debates Sparked by This Crisis

• Is It the Youth’s Fault?
  When opportunities are scarce and systems broken, can we truly blame young people for hesitating to take on adult responsibilities?
• Is the Government Doing Enough?
  Youths question the impact of policies like the Ajira Digital program or the Youth Enterprise Fund, which remain inaccessible or ineffective for many.
• Reconciling Modernity and Tradition
  How can Kenyan society balance traditional expectations of adulthood with modern, globalized lifestyles that don’t always value communal responsibility?

Moving Forward: What Can Be Done?

Real-life solutions already happening:

• Economic Empowerment:
  In Kibera, youth groups are launching small urban farming projects using vertical gardens. In Mombasa, young women’s groups are embracing beadwork and Swahili crafts for income.
• Education Reform:
  The CBC (Competency-Based Curriculum), while still debated, attempts to address skill gaps by nurturing practical abilities alongside academics.
• Mentorship Revivals:
  Churches, mosques, and NGOs like Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO) in Nairobi are reintroducing mentorship programs connecting successful professionals with local youth.
• Promoting Civic Engagement:
  Movements like # Team Courage have inspired youth to organize cleanups, tree-planting drives, and civic education forums, creating new, meaningful definitions of responsibility.

Conclusion: A Shared Responsibility

The perceived fear of responsibility among Kenya’s youth isn’t just a youth problem — it’s a national reflection. It reveals economic gaps, systemic inefficiencies, and shifting cultural values. Addressing it demands collective action: from government policy shifts to education reform, family guidance, and youth initiative.

As a society, we must ask: Are we preparing young people for responsibility, or just blaming them when they fear it?

📢 Final Thought:

The solution lies not in nostalgia for the past, but in reimagining adulthood and responsibility for a fast-changing world — where resilience, creativity, civic engagement, and practical skills matter just as much as academic qualifications.