ADHIAMBO: We cry for jobs but burn what we have to ashes?

Rioters torch Magunas Supermarket during the Saba Saba protest /HANDOUT

Unemployment among the youth in Kenya has become the song of the day. Youth cry for stability and opportunities that can earn them a living.

The government, in response, has made commendable efforts to bridge this gap through programmes like ‘Jitume’ that offer digital jobs, support for MSMEs, improved access to loans for entrepreneurs and wooing investors to boost and grow our economy.

While we may not yet rank among the world's top economies in employment rates, we are undoubtedly moving in the right direction.

As the old adage goes, Rome wasn't built in a day. It took years, centuries even, to shape and build the grandeur of that magnificent city. Kenya is our Rome.

It has taken relentless effort, dedication, sweat, prayers and countless sleepless nights to build the progress we now enjoy.

Yet every time we face a national disagreement, we don't hesitate to burn this Rome to the ground – the Rome that we've worked so hard to build.

With no remorse or sense of loss for our beloved country, we set ablaze what took decades to create in just a single day because of political tension or civil unrest.

It's like a mother carrying a pregnancy to term, only to destroy the baby at birth. At this point, we must ask ourselves, what happened to our spirit of patriotism?

Every step we take forward is quickly erased by violent protests that send us 100 steps back.

The economic and social losses we suffer during these demonstrations are heartbreaking. How can we hope to compete with other nations in job creation, infrastructure and innovation if we keep destroying our own foundations? We are dragged back by violent protests.

Take the example of a typical protest. The cost is staggering. Businesses looted, roads are destroyed, vehicles torched and buildings reduced to rubble.

The revenue that could have funded new hospitals, roads and schools or could have been directed towards job creation is diverted to repair the damage

. This is a cycle that drags us down each moment we start to rise. We destroy with our own hands the very opportunities we cry out for.

The protests of June 25, were a clear example. In a single day, we undo years of progress. Businesses were looted, raided, and reduced to ashes.

These were not just structures. They were job opportunities, lifelines and dreams. They provided direct and indirect employment to thousands.

Behind every burnt or vandalised store was a family, an employee, or a hopeful youth who depended on that income to survive. Now their source of livelihoods has been shattered.

Imagine having a job today, only to be unemployed the next morning since your workplace is in ruins. If you've ever been jobless in a city like Nairobi, you understand it's a nightmare no one wishes for. Rent must be paid, as bills don't wait for healing or rebuilding. Landlords don't want to hear "stories." The agony is enough to send one into depression.

The aftermath of the June 25 protest left our country in a sorry state. Business owners woke up to ashes where their dreams once stood.

Those who've built something from scratch understand that it takes months, years, sometimes decades of sacrifice, reinvestment, sleepless nights, marketing efforts and risk to build something sustainable. Yet, in a matter of hours, it can vanish in smoke.

Many of these businesses are built on borrowed capital that needs to be repaid whether the venture stands or not.

Now, many entrepreneurs face a double tragedy: loss of livelihood and the burden of debt. This is more than a financial loss. It's emotional, psychological and a generational burden.

Nairobi's CBD, once the heart of commerce, is fast becoming highly targeted during unrest. It is slowly losing its shine and is gaining popularity for chaos.

Destruction has become so normalised that many business owners have lost hope and are reluctant to reopen or reinvest.

If this trend continues, we risk facing an even greater unemployment crisis, as every time this happens, we inch closer to an economic collapse driven by our own hands.

Yes, political protests exist all over the world. But how they are conducted makes all the difference. Violence often repels opportunities.

Violent protests have the capacity to scare away investors who might have created the very jobs we so desperately need and could be the answer to our joblessness.

Who would risk their money in a country where it could go up in flames at any moment? If our own local traders are scared of uncertainty, imagine the fears of foreign investors.

Rebuilding a business after destruction is never easy. Some never bounce back. Imagine going from a thriving enterprise to starting from scratch, or worse, giving up altogether. This is the painful reality for many Kenyans today.

So as we cry out to the government and chant slogans against unemployment, let us also remember that these are the very jobs we destroy with our own hands.

These are the very jobs we torch in the streets with no remorse. These are our sources of revenue. We blame the government, but we also carry the responsibility.

Yes, we need more jobs. But what sense does it make to burn what little we already have? What do we stand to gain by rendering fellow citizens jobless just to make a point?

Some have argued that it is unemployment that fuels Gen Z protests, with claims that idleness drives them to the streets. Indeed, as the saying goes, "an idle mind is the devil's workshop," a sentiment echoed in the Holy Book.

However, it defies reason to throw away the little food you have simply because you are starving.

The wiser approach would be to make the most of what you have, while striving and hoping for a better meal tomorrow. Anything less is not only unwise but also self-sabotage.

Business owners in Nairobi and other cities no longer feel safe. It was heartbreaking to watch hard working entrepreneurs clear out their shops ahead of the Saba Saba commemoration just to protect their stock.

Imagine the burden of packing up your entire business every time unrest is expected, only to return the next day and start over. It's exhausting and demoralising. In simple terms, our business people have become refugees in their own country.

Unemployment is a perennial challenge that cannot be solved in a day or even in two years. It takes deliberate, consistent steps. But every time we destroy the small steps we've made, we set ourselves back.

This means unemployment will never be solved if we keep tearing down the economic fabric we're trying to build.

But we can change this. Perhaps it's time to rewrite this destructive nature through empathy, dialogue, exercising the spirit of patriotism and peaceful expression of grievances.

Let us not be the generation that begged for jobs but destroyed the ones we had. Crying for progress while holding matches in our hands is an irony.