Salwa Mahmoud
Lamu County has truly become a strange place. The county government is busy hiring old men and women, some even over 70 years old, not because they can work, but because they campaigned for politicians. These people are given jobs they never attend, yet they pocket salaries every month. They are ghost workers, political influencers, not real employees. Meanwhile, thousands of young people sit at home with papers, skills, and energy but no jobs.
Just last week, an old man was on the media, crying after being given a warning letter to attend work. Imagine, crying because he was told to actually go to the office and work for the money he is paid. He called it harassment. That shows us the truth: these jobs are not meant for service; they are simply rewards for political loyalty. The old campaigners are comfortable being paid for nothing, while the youth are told to wait, to be patient for the port and other opportunities to open up which will never happen.
Lamu is a youthful county. More than half the population is under 35. Yet it is these same people who remain jobless, hopeless, and hustling in the streets. How can leaders say they are empowering youth when they would rather pay an 80-year-old to stay at home than give a 25-year-old a chance to prove themselves? It is shameful, it is insulting, and it is killing the spirit of young people.
Counties love to talk about “experience” whenever they defend hiring retirees. But let us be honest, what experience is there in ghost work? What wisdom is there in crying because you were asked to report to work? This is not about service. It is about politics, about repaying campaigners with taxpayers’ money. Why should someone’s grandmother or grandfather be hired and paid for doing nothing, while their own grandchildren are jobless? This is not development
Meanwhile, the youth are left to dive in drugs. They ride boda bodas, do small hustles, or sit idle with their degrees gathering dust. Leaders organize festivals, sports tournaments, and endless PR events claiming to empower youth. But real empowerment is simple: give them jobs, give them opportunities, let them work. Instead, our county is busy keeping the old comfortable while the young starve.
This is not just poor leadership. It is theft, it is injustice, and it is dangerous. When youth lose faith in fairness, frustration builds. And when frustration builds, society pays. The truth is, someone who is 80 years old should be resting, advising, or mentoring, not crying about being forced to work. Counties must stop rewarding political influencers with ghost jobs. That money belongs to the youth, to the future.
Kenya cannot move forward if the future is always sacrificed for the past. We can do better.
