31/08/2026
Government Reaffirms Commitment to Creating More and Better Jobs.
The Government has reaffirmed its commitment to creating more and better jobs for Kenyans while ensuring public resources are used efficiently to deliver tangible development outcomes.
Speaking in Nairobi during a high-level dialogue on “Delivering Results for More and Better Jobs in a Changing Development Landscape,” Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury, FCPA Hon. John Mbadi said Kenya created approximately 822,000 jobs in 2025, up from 782,000 in 2024.
The CS noted that 87.2 per cent of the jobs created in 2025 were in the informal sector, underscoring the need to focus not only on job numbers but also on the quality, productivity and sustainability of employment opportunities.
He said the Government is investing in skills development, enterprise growth and stronger labour-market linkages. Over the medium term, 570,000 job seekers are targeted for placement locally and internationally, while 310,000 workers will be certified and 90,000 young people receive technical training.
Through the NYOTA Project, nearly 200,000 young people have already been reached across all 47 counties.
The Government is also supporting businesses through initiatives including the Kenya Jobs and Economic Transformation (KJET) Project and AGRIConnect, which seek to improve access to finance, strengthen markets and modernise value chains to enable MSMEs to formalise, expand and create sustainable jobs.
CS Mbadi further emphasised that fiscal consolidation is about more than reducing expenditure. It is about ensuring that every shilling spent delivers greater value to Kenyans. The National Treasury is therefore strengthening the connection between planning, budgeting and real-time data to improve the impact of public spending.
He called for stronger collaboration among Government, development partners and the private sector to mobilise investment, expand economic opportunities and build sustainable national capacity.
The dialogue brought together Government officials, development partners, private-sector representatives and international experts.
Speakers included Ndiame Diop, Vice President for Eastern and Southern Africa at the World Bank Group; Professor Eldar Shafir of Princeton University; Hon. Ahmed Abisalan Ibrahim, Principal Secretary for National Government Coordination in the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary; Carole Kariuki, CEO of KEPSA; Lisandro Martin, Director of the Outcomes Department at the World Bank Group; Armand Nzeyimana, Director of the Development Impact and Results Department at the African Development Bank; and Qimiao Fan, Division Director for Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia and Uganda at the World Bank Group.