A Brown-lettered Day-UoN 2022 Job Fair

The Office of the Dean of Students and Career Services on Thursday and Friday May 19 and 20, 2022 organized a Job Fair for University of Nairobi Students. The fresh morning was coated with optimism, brown envelopes being waved back and forth as employers and prospective employees gather outside Taifa Hall, Main Campus to kick off the University of Nairobi Students Job Fair 2022.

This job Fair was a two-day event championed by the Office of Career Services in partnership with Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi (CIUON) as an initiative to bring students, graduates and employers together. The aim is to connect graduates with industry partners for jobs and internship opportunities and exposing the industry to the underutilized Research and Development potential at the University.

The Job Fair saw a turnout of over 1500 students and 23 Kenyan based Chinese companies offering over 200 employment opportunities. The forum offered jobs opportunities in the fields of engineering, architecture, law, hospitality and media related professions. The companies also offered opportunities for front office staff, sales executives, translators and logistics personnel.

With the rising challenge of unemployment and underemployment in Kenya and the youth being the most affected, the Office of Career Services hosts an annual Job Fair to help address the unemployment challenge by linking students to job and internship opportunities. Without addressing the issue of unemployment, the future of Kenya is at stake. It requires the concerted efforts of both the Industry players and University & Tertiary institutions that are churning out graduates to the Industry to solve this problem.

The University's long-term vision is for every graduate that walks out of this University to secure entry into the job market or self-employment. While addressing the industry partners present at the Job Fair, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic Affairs – Prof. Julius Ogeng’o stated that “Your presence is indeed a demonstration of your shared commitment to the University’s goals and mandate.”

In his speech, Mr. Joseph Gitau, the Business and Marketing Manager, Corporate Affairs Department, Moja Expressway Company Ltd. agonized about the unemployment situation in the country where many young people struggle to get employment after the completion of their studies. A duty that he cited cannot be entirely relegated to the students alone therefore explaining and embracing the essence of the career fair. The Nairobi Expressway Company recruited over 50 Toll attendants and 10 Toll Administrators and promised to recruit more UoN students.

“My Favorite part of the job fair was seeing my friends and I get a chance to find employment and the fact that the fair was in school, means that someone has our best interests at heart.” -Yvonne Bukhebi, recently completed 4th year student, Bachelor of Arts Psychology

“Personally I think I got some experience mostly about the creation of a CV and what to put in one in order to impress employers.” –Moses Mwai, 2nd Year Student Anthropology.

The Office of Career Services is continually striving to link students to the job market for job, internship, attachment and apprenticeship opportunities.

By Naomi Nyaboga and Mary Oloo, Office of Career Services, UoN