Nairobi’s Public Parks Become Meeting Grounds for Educated Yet Unemployed Youth

Public parks in central Nairobi are now daily gathering points for educated but unemployed youth, many holding degrees in fields such as engineering, statistics, commerce, and education.

These locations, Jeevanjee Gardens, KenCom, Uhuru Park, and Nairobi Cinema Park, have come to be known informally as “jobless corners.” Here, young men and women spend their days waiting, networking, and sharing information in an effort to find work. Many carry brown envelopes containing CVs and academic certificates that have yet to secure them employment. 

Despite their qualifications, they face limited opportunities in a labour market that has failed to match the pace of the country’s expanding education system. Moses Mbugua, 36, studied mechanical engineering but now spends his days at Jeevanjee Gardens and his evenings at bus stations guiding travellers for small commissions. 

On a good day, he earns between Sh100 and Sh200, though he is often not paid at all. “I’ve sent CVs everywhere. Nothing,” he says. He adds that the instability of his income contributed to the breakdown of his marriage. “My wife left when I couldn’t provide.”

Willy Maina, 28, graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Zetech University. He has printed and submitted countless CVs, each costing Sh70, but has yet to be shortlisted for a formal position. He currently takes part in irregular political assignments, including event crowd mobilisation and field data collection. He says he once hoped to start a small egg vending business but has been unable to raise the Sh10,000 required to begin. Mr Maina is part of a growing group who rely on these public spaces not just for social interaction, but for a sense of stability. 

“By early afternoon this place fills with people like me, men and women with degrees but no payslips,” he says. “This place gives us peace. It’s free. It’s where we can breathe.” 

He also leads the Nairobi Masafara Foundation, a local group that helps street families access ID cards and basic services. The initiative occasionally provides income, particularly when political campaigns seek help distributing or collecting registration forms.

Kenya’s education-to-employment gap is reflected in recent statistics. The Commission for University Education reports that nearly 124,000 university graduates entered the job market last year, while the Economic Survey notes that only 78,600 formal jobs were created. A Tifa poll found that one in four Kenyans is unemployed, with only 25 percent holding full-time employment.

Enoch Odhiambo, 25, holds a degree in Applied Statistics and Mathematics from Rongo University. He moved to Nairobi two years ago in search of work but now spends most days in Jeevanjee Gardens. His day-to-day survival depends on occasional support from friends and relatives.

“If I stay home, I get depressed. We come here to cool our minds. To get a job, you must know somebody. I’m a son of nobody,” he says. 

The growing presence of jobless graduates in Nairobi’s parks highlights a deeper structural challenge. Kenya’s economy has not kept pace with the number of students graduating each year. In the absence of adequate job opportunities, many young people are forced into informal work, political errands, or prolonged periods of unemployment.

As evening sets in, many of those gathered in the parks begin the journey back to crowded shared rooms in the city’s outskirts. Their stories reflect a broader crisis facing Kenya’s youth: a generation of educated citizens struggling to translate academic achievement into economic opportunity.