That’s a very thoughtful question — and yes, unemployment in Kenya (and in most modern societies) is largely a manmade or structural problem. To understand why, it helps to look at how Kenyan societies organized work before colonialism and how the colonial system transformed that.
🌾 Before Colonialism
Before the arrival of European colonial powers in the late 19th century, most Kenyan communities had indigenous economic systems that did not produce “unemployment” in the modern sense.
1. Work was communal and purpose-driven
- People worked mainly within extended families, clans, or age groups.
- Everyone had a role — herding, farming, hunting, trading, blacksmithing, pottery, or other crafts.
- Labor was shared and organized by need, not by wages or formal “jobs.”
2. Land and resources were communal
- Land was not privately owned but managed by the community or elders.
- Everyone had access to land for subsistence; thus, there was little concept of being “jobless” or destitute as long as you belonged to a community.
3. Trade and specialization existed
- There were local and regional trade networks (e.g., the coastal Swahili traders, long-distance trade with Arabs).
- Specialized professions existed, but the economy still revolved around self-sufficiency, not formal employment.
So, before colonialism, the idea of “unemployment” didn’t exist because economic survival didn’t depend on finding a job — it depended on community participation and access to land.
🏛️ During and After Colonialism
The colonial period introduced new economic structures that created unemployment:
1. Forced introduction of a cash economy
- The British imposed hut taxes and poll taxes payable only in money.
- To earn cash, Africans had to work for wages on European farms, in towns, or on infrastructure projects.
- This disrupted traditional livelihoods and made people dependent on wage labor.
2. Land alienation
- Large tracts of fertile land were taken from African communities for white settlers (especially in the “White Highlands”).
- Dispossessed Africans became landless laborers or squatters — unable to sustain themselves traditionally.
3. Creation of a “labor reserve”
- Colonial authorities deliberately limited African access to education and high-level jobs.
- Africans were pushed into low-paying manual labor, while administrative and managerial roles went to Europeans and Asians.
- This created a class of underemployed people — a pattern that persisted after independence.
4. Post-independence continuation
- After 1963, Kenya maintained a capitalist, urban-centered economy.
- Rural-urban migration increased as people sought formal jobs.
- However, the economy couldn’t absorb everyone, leading to structural unemployment and growth of the informal sector (jua kali).
⚖️ In Summary
- Before colonialism: There was no unemployment — everyone had work in the community’s traditional economy.
- After colonialism: The introduction of wage labor, private land ownership, and cash economy created manmade unemployment by disconnecting people from land and communal livelihoods.
Would you like me to include how modern Kenyan government policies and education have influenced unemployment since independence (e.g. mismatch between education and labor market)?