Youth and Self-Employment In Developing Countries: A Critical Analysis of Youth Focused Self-Employment Promoting Policy in Kenya

This paper critically analyses self-employment policy in Kenya. It embarks on finding out the assumptions that inform such policies especially among the youth and in developing countries. It also explores on the other hand the realities and experiences that are happening on the ground among the youth. This is made possible through a currently ongoing Self-employment promoting policy in Kenya the YEDF. The paper shows a disconnect between the assumptions driving the policy and the experience of the youth. It brings out the fact that the policies are based on the entrepreneurial and dynamic notion of self-employed among the youth. The policies also take a narrow definition of youth without factoring in the complexities that engulf the youth in their daily life experience. The realities and experiences of the youth show that self-employment is a form of labour market status which may encompass a wide range of activities. As much as it is being promoted among the youth, they may choose to be self-employed for many different reasons. As such the self-employed as a group may be highly heterogeneous. At one end of a possible spectrum the self-employed may be identified as entrepreneurial, while on the other they may be classified as survivalists who are in business out of necessity. Most of the youth lie at the survivalist end. The paper also recognised the complexities of the experiences of being youth. It shows that the youth are deeply embedded in the society therefore highly influenced by social and cultural norms as well as the political and economic spheres of the society they live in. -- Relevance to Development Studies -- Self-employment is a phenomenon that cannot afford to be avoided in the current development arena. Even though employment has been fronted as one of the strategies through which development can be achieved, not much has been done on self-employment. This paper took the plunge into this less researched topic, especially in developing countries in an effort to bring out a better understanding of the dynamics of self-employment in developing countries and among the youth. As such it contributes to the literature on self-employment and youth which goes a long way in better informing the development agenda.