Kakamega Carpenter Finds Success Employing Local Youth [Part One]

The issue of unemployment is rampant in our society. Today many youths are unemployed which has led to many vices in society, among them being a high crime rate, drug trafficking, and corruption. As we struggle with emerging issues such as COVID-19, we tend to forget that there is another killer monster called unemployment which has killed so many youths physically, emotionally, and psychologically.  Today we have so many graduates without employment. The issue of employment has been left to the individual to either struggle to create their employment or wait for the government which might take one even two decades waiting.

In Mukhonje village which is in Kakamega county, we meet  Moses Namunyu who has ventured into woodworking despite him having a bachelor’s degree in engineering.  In an individual with him, he said he had to venture into the woodwork to create employment for himself as well as fellow villagers of Mukhonje village. He said it has taken him more than fifteen years out of university minus employment. He then decided to try woodworking, which was just his leisure activity. Furthermore, he had little, but he just started it.

“Since it was my hobby, I just started it with the little skills I had. I have gained a lot of experience while working. I can now make almost all types of furniture. Moreover, I teach young people how to make these items”

Moses Namunyu believes in hard work with focus. He says without a vision you can’t achieve anything. He has been working hard and encouraging young people in Mukhonje village to join him to acquire the good skills he has. Not only that, but he has trained almost two people who have now opened their woodwork shops elsewhere. Furthermore, he said he has been working hard to achieve his three-set goals:

Creating employment

He has created employment not only for himself but also for his fellow villagers whom he has trained in woodwork. Moreover, he buys his timber from the locality, which means he also promotes the local markets.
Bringing services closer to villagers
Moses has been one of the people in the village who has helped villagers get good access to furniture which was bought from other places such as Lwandeti, Webuye, and even Eldoret. Villagers can now get access to these products at even a lower price compared to those bought from other places. He has also cut down on their transport costs.

Rehabilitating the Youth

Some youths who had lost hope in life and resorted to drinking alcohol have now been kept busy. One of such young men is one who fetches timber from various places for him on his motorbike. Some other youths who were a threat to villagers because of them, being thieves, have also been rehabilitated. At Blessed woodwork company, there is no room for idleness. All people who work there are always busy with this or that from morning to evening. Mr. Moses says he does not like an idle mind because an idle mind harbors evil thoughts. He said he always wants everyone to be busy with his work. He also likes punctuality. Likewise, he opens his workshop at exactly 7 am, and he expects his employees and students to report at 8 am. Furthermore, he believes in the saying “the early bird catches the worm”I also asked  Moses why he thinks Blessed woodwork is the best company in Mukhonje village, and he said that he thought it is the best because it offers goods at pocket-friendly prices. He gave me an example of some furniture which are costly elsewhere, but he offers them at a good price. For example, a table costs three thousand shillings elsewhere, but he normally sells at one thousand eight hundred shillings. He said the prices attract customers. Another reason why he thought blessed woodwork is the best is that it is the only woodwork shop that teaches skills to other people. Mostly, many people who do woodworking just do it for business and will always charge an extra fee whenever they teach someone skills to do woodworking. On his side, he says he does not charge any fee. He does that to help his fellow villagers. Moreover, he said that he is a pastor. As a man of God who is doing woodwork, he is a role model to many because the Bible says that those who do not work should not eat. So, he encourages young people to put in more and learn new skills which will be vital in their life. He says it is better for him to teach someone skills than even to give him cash, which is not always available. He always encourages his workers with biblical scriptures daily. That is what keeps them moving on.

Moses has good dreams which he believes he will fulfill. He believes in helping the government to create employment. He no longer wants to be employed by the government. Furthermore, he says he has acquired education which has opened his brains and made him an important citizen who will be able to help the government instead of blaming it because of the problem of unemployment.

“Every citizen has the role to play instead of blaming the government. At this time when the government is struggling with many foreign debts, we need to think outside the box. We went to school to learn how to be problem solvers, not government dependants. We can’t depend on the government for everything.”

Moses says he was once bitter with the government while in university for its many shortcomings, but he now believes he is the change that has to be injected into the system. He believes he has one tool which is in-born skills in woodworking, which he will use to bring change bypassing these good skills to his fellow villagers. His woodwork shop is not huge, but he believes he has great skills which he will use to reduce the problem of unemployment not only in his area but all over the country. He says if he gets resources in the future, he will open up woodworking shops in other areas to help other people too. He believes in his products, and he has a dream of selling them not only in Mukhonje village but the entire country and outside the country. This he believes will also create employment as he will have to advertise his products online, and he will need to employ someone who is computer-literate to run his online business.