Lamu youth allege unfair lockout in KPA hiring, demand transparency

The Lamu Youth Assembly has issued an urgent appeal to the national government to address the ongoing job recruitment row at the Kenya Ports Authority, which they claim has locked out youths from being considered for jobs at the parastatal.

They further allege that, following widespread technical failures during the recruitment process, many young skilled people from Lamu county appear to have been systematically excluded during a highly competitive exercise that took place in November 2025.

In a press release issued on Friday, the Lamu Youth Assembly made three core demands: the need for immediate transparency regarding the integrity of the recruitment system, urgent corrective measures to address technical barriers and a clear public response from KPA leadership outlining steps to guarantee fairness.

The group stated that failure by KPA and the national government to act decisively would compel them to pursue legal redress to suspend the ongoing process until fairness and equal access are assured.

Controversy surrounding the hiring process centres on a recruitment drive that attracted half a million applicants nationwide for just 296 positions — a ratio that underscores Kenya’s acute youth unemployment crisis.

In a previous interview, KPA Managing Director Captain William Ruto revealed in November 2025 that 500,000 Kenyans had applied for the vacancies, which included office and technical roles such as plumbers, fitters, welders and carpenters, with salaries ranging between Sh67,000 and Sh132,000.

For Lamu county, which is home to the country’s newest deep-water port, more than 800 youths applied for the positions, amid claims by a section of activists that the process was flawed.

Mohamed Hassan, prime cabinet member in the Lamu Youth Assembly, described the frustrations felt across the county, stating that hundreds of youths had travelled from remote areas such as Basuba and Kiunga in search of a stable internet connection to complete the application process, but failed to secure positions.

“Many have spent their last coins on compliance documents, and to then face abrupt system failures which include reported KRA-related technical disruptions at critical stages feels like a deliberate attempt to lock us out,” he said.

Hajj Shee, representing Kiunga ward, pointed to the geographical disadvantages facing applicants from his constituency.

“Kiunga is one of the most remote parts of this county with youth having to travel hours just to access internet only to be told that the system has crashed during their assessment,” Shee stated.

Samya Abubakar, representing Faza ward, emphasised the gender dimension of the crisis, stating that young women in Lamu face additional cultural and logistical barriers.

“When a process that should be transparent becomes riddled with technical issues, it compounds the disadvantage they already experience,” Abubakar said.

Mohamed Skanda, representing Hindi ward, warned of growing disillusionment among Lamu youths, stating that the issue goes beyond jobs and points to a lack of fairness in recruiting and accepting Kenyans regardless of ethnicity or religion.

The recruitment challenges in Lamu reflect a broader national employment crisis which, according to the Federation of Kenya Employers’ 2025 Youth Employment Report, has left overall unemployment in Kenya at 12.7 per cent, with those under 34 accounting for 67 per cent of the unemployed.

The KPA recruitment, offering stable salaries and technical training opportunities, represented a rare lifeline in a constrained job market, making the reported technical failures all the more consequential.

Youth in Lamu have further called on elected and appointed leaders from Lamu county to intervene, and have also appealed directly to President William Ruto to ensure government agencies uphold justice for host communities.