A section of youths from Mavoko Sub-County on Friday lauded the national government for providing them with jobs through the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) and Dual Carriage Highway projects.
Speaking in Athi River Town on Friday, the youth's representative Joseph Ng’ang’a said the two major projects in Machakos County had given them opportunities to earn livelihoods.
"We laud the national government for considering the Standard Gauge Railway and Dual Carriage Highway project in this region for they have provided jobs to us," said Ng’ang’a.
Ng’ang’a said the initiatives had reduced rates of joblessness among young people in the county inclusive of both males and females. According to him, only youth who were choosy on jobs had remained jobless as those who do not care on natures of jobs the engage in keep on pushing on with livelihoods as they meet their daily family obligations.
Jacinta Mueke, a casual labourer at the SGR project in the Athi River site said it was high time jobless young people stopped choosing jobs.
"I discourage young people especially women to stop being choosy since jobs are hard to come by these days," said Mueke.
She said she did not mind what people said about her on the casual job she does at the railway construction company so long as she earned her livelihood and successfully raised her children.
George Oywaa, a businessman and youth mentor in the town called on the youth to positively embrace different government initiatives to curb the joblessness problem.
He condemned individuals, especially politicians, who keep criticising development projects established by both national and the Machakos County government to improve livelihoods of the locals especially youth and women.