Editor's Review

The man who had dressed casually said DP Ruto had promised him a job four years ago but the promise had not been fulfilled.  

Deputy President William Ruto was forced to intervene after a man chained himself to his Harambee Annex office. 

The man identified as Lawrence Oprong chained himself to the gate due to a lack of a job, maintaining that he would free himself only if the DP addresses his concerns. 

The man who had dressed casually said DP Ruto had promised him a job four years ago but the promise had not been fulfilled.  

A contingent of police officers was forced to use a hacksaw to unchain him and later took him to Central Police Station. 

{A file image of Deputy President William Ruto at his office}

DP Ruto's spokesperson Emmanuel Talam has since issued a statement on the same, noting that the deputy president has sorted the issue already. 

"DP has sorted the issued and asked his office to handle the young man's case," Talam said. 

The man claimed to be the son of late Busia North Member of Parliament Fredrick Oduya Oprong. 

Census data released in February 2020 showed that 5,341,182 or 38.9 percent of the 13,777,600 young Kenyans are jobless, further widening the gulf between the rich and the poor.

According to World Bank data, Kenya has the highest youth joblessness in East Africa in 2015 with 17 percent of all young people eligible for work lacked jobs.

Neighbouring Tanzania and Uganda had comparable rates of 5.5 percent and 6.8 percent respectively. 

The latest census data points to worsening unemployment for the youth aged between 18 and 34. The Covid 19 pandemic has also made things worse in Kenya with over one million people being rendered jobless.