Kirinyaga youths launch KiriMarket app to fight unemployment

In Kirinyaga, a group of young professionals has launched a digital platform called KiriMarket with the goal of tackling unemployment and providing young people with new income opportunities. The Kirinyaga Young Professionals Forum introduced KiriMarket in Kagio on September 14, 2026, with the aim of helping young individuals use technology to find customers, showcase their skills, and access economic opportunities within the county and beyond.

According to Kirinyaga Young Professionals Forum chairman Andrew Murigu, the platform was born out of observation that many young people in Kirinyaga were spending a significant amount of time on digital platforms without fully leveraging them to generate income. Murigu emphasized that the world is increasingly moving towards digital platforms, and it was this opportunity that inspired the creation of KiriMarket.

KiriMarket aims to enable young people to advertise their skills and services directly to potential customers, bypassing traditional employment avenues. The platform will facilitate connections between job seekers, service providers, traders, and individuals in the transport sector, thereby creating a conducive environment for income generation and entrepreneurship.

Nicholas Bundi, the Kirinyaga Young Professionals Forum Secretary General, highlighted that KiriMarket will bring together various categories of users, including job seekers, service providers, traders, and transport sector professionals. By centralizing these different groups on one platform, the forum intends to simplify the process of finding services and fostering an environment in which young people can earn a living.

Andrew Murigu urged young people to view technology as more than a source of entertainment and to harness its potential for constructive purposes, such as generating income. He emphasized the importance of constructive engagement with digital platforms and the necessity to move beyond mere entertainment use.

Kirinyaga County Executive Committee Member for Trade, Calbert Njeru, expressed the county government's commitment to supporting young entrepreneurs involved in small businesses. Njeru mentioned that the county had allocated funds in its budget to assist young people engaged in small-scale businesses and that this support would soon be made available.

Njeru called on young people to embrace KiriMarket and other digital platforms that connect them with customers, employers, and business opportunities. He added that initiatives like KiriMarket could help keep young people economically engaged and reduce their vulnerability to drug and alcohol abuse, provided they have productive activities and income sources to engage in.

Mwea MP Mary Maingi acknowledged the importance of technology and innovative approaches to employment in addressing unemployment among young people in Kirinyaga. However, she warned that there is often a mismatch between the education and training provided to young people and the requirements of the job market. Maingi called for greater investment in value addition, particularly in agriculture, arguing that Kirinyaga's agricultural potential could create numerous employment opportunities for the younger generation.

She also urged the county government to ensure the planned aggregation center in Sagana becomes operational, as it could create jobs and improve markets for agricultural products. Maingi's call for action highlights the need for a comprehensive approach to tackling unemployment in Kirinyaga by fostering economic growth and aligning educational systems with the demands of the job market.