Top 6 ‘Big’ but useless courses in Kenya.

By Yuvenalis Wakoli.

Every graduate has a dream of getting a Job immediately they finish campus/colleges. But to some students this dreams come to pass through but to other students it end up being a night mare. Some are left tarmacking for years with an aim of getting a job, attending over 20 interviews but to no vain.

On this list, we have listed the top courses that i refer as ‘Big’ but have no job market in Kenya. They are mainly marketable in developed countries but in Kenya, they leave its graduates in unemployment.

Here are the 6 courses most of them being under science and engineering.

1. Chemical Engineering.

Chemical engineering is a branch of engineering that uses principles of chemistry, physics, mathematics, biology and economics to efficiently use, design, transport and transform energy and materials. This course is offered in many Kenyan universities but have low job market in Kenya, thus leaving many graduates unemployed.

2. Biochemistry.

Biochemistry is the application of chemistry to study biological processes at the cellular and molecular level. This is another course that even its students don’t know what job they will do after finishing studying it. It is one of the science courses that has no job market in Kenya.

3. Biotechnology.

Biotechnology is the exploitation of biological processes for industrial and other purposes especially the genetic manipulation of microorganisms for production of antibiotics. Biotechnology is mostly advanced in developed countries like India, USA, China etc. Kenya is still underdeveloped in science & research hence the course has low job market in Kenya.

4. Petroleum Engineering.

Petroleum Engineering is a field of engineering concerned with the activities related to the production of hydrocarbons which can either be natural gas or crude oil. This is a course that is little known by majority of the people and its job market is low.

5. Actuarial Science

Actuarial science is the discipline that applies mathematical and statistical methods to assess risks in insurance, finance and other industries. It is one of the big and most difficulty courses in Kenya that its students change to another course before reaching third year of study. The job market is small and few graduates get a chance to secure employment while others tamack searching for jobs.

6. Geospatial Engineering.

It is the most recent addition to the engineering family. They use new and developing technologies such as GPS, Satellite imagery, laser mapping and fast computing to create complex layers of interconnected geographic information. Since it is a new course, it hasn’t gained recognition that much to the Kenyan market. Graduates end up doing a job that isn’t related to their area of study.

How to Budget your 40K monthly salary in Nairobi.

By Yuvenalis Wakoli.

Staying in Nairobi is all fun but it comes with responsibilities. You have to dig deep into your pockets inorder to access something you want. Inshort, everything needs money. Statistics say 97% of Nairobians pay rent while the remaining 3% have their own houses in Nairobi.

This has made many people come up with a budget. Meib you wondering what a budget is! Ok, a Budget is a plan for every dollar you have or a Budget is an estimate of income and expenditure for a set period of time.

You do not have to be a math guru inoder to come up with a budget .You simply have to know the basic addition and substitution plus the difference between your net and gross. 50% of your income should go to living expenses and essentials eg Rent. 20% of your income should go to your financial goals eg savings. The rest 30% of your income should go to your daily expenses. This includes food, transportation etc. Hence a 50/20/30 rule by Elizabeth Warren.

Here is a budget of a bachelor earning around 40k per month in Nairobi.

Rent- 10k, Food/groceries- 10k, Electricity/Water bills- 4k, Transport- 4k, Savings- 5k, Parents/Guardian upkeep- 3k , Entertainment/internet – 4k. Total Ksh40k. NB: Rent should not be more than a third of your monthly salary.

The following 6 steps will help you to create a Budget.

1. Note your net income.

2.Track your spending

3. Set your goals.

4. Make a plan.

5. Adjust your spending habits.

6. Keep checking in.

Automate as much as possible so that the money you have allocated for a specific purposes gets their with minimal effort on your part.

An accountability partner or online support group can help, so that you held accountable for choices that blow your budget. Try as much as you can to avoid debts as this will make your budget blow off.

Remember planning a budget isn’t rocket science, it’s something easy that only requires commitment and passion to keep your budget going. Embrace budgeting. It is important that you review your budget on a regular basis to be sure you are staying on the right track.

The Rise & Fall of Gengetone.

Gengetone artist Ethics Image: Courtesy.

By Yuvenalis Wakoli

Kenyans were that into Naija & Bongo songs until Kenyan artists pushed a harshtag #playkenyanmusic by Kenyan DJs. That went on until mid 2018 where Kenyans were introduced to Gengetone genre making Kenyans take a break from Naija and Bongo songs. The first breakthrough of Gengetone was a song called ‘lamba lolo’ by Ethics which did well across the East Africa Region.

This paved way for other artists coming with hits after hits thus making Kenyans love the music genre. DJs promoted the genre by playing in Clubs, Radios & TVs.

Gengetone artists like sailors came up with songs like Wamlambez, Wainame, Pekejeng, Queen B etc. Bondoocks gang came up with songs like Rieng, Mboko haram, Mavitu, Mathogothanio etc. Ethics came up with songs like New position, Lamba lolo, Saba, Pandana etc. Ochunglo family came up with songs like Krimino, Doremi, Bora uhai, etc. Many artists joined in producing hit songs as they call it (Club bangers).

Gengetone artists Sailors Gang. Image: courtesy.

‘Older’ artists saw their potential and decided to come in and support the genre. Ethics collaborated with the Kansoul to produce New position song, Sailors gang collaborated with KRG the Don’t to produce Nyandus, Sailors too collaborated with Octopizzo to produce Wakiritho which was also a hit song.

Many Gengetone artists collaborated and came up with hit songs that was loved by most Kenyans especially youths.

The genre performed well until early 2020 when the genre started having controversies. This is when people started claiming the genre promotes Drug abuse, Rape, Thuggery and other bad vices.

This controversies made the genre start losing plays in many platforms. Some of the songs were brought down from You tube due to bad content while other artists lacked money to promote their music/shoot their videos. The fan base started reducing since almost everyone was criticizing the genre of ‘lack of content’.

Recently Ethics chorus star Reckless was seen producing solo songs despite being a group of four. (Reckless, Swat, Seska & Zilla). This made Kenyans judge that the singer had quit the crew despite the crew’s Dj stating that they were all still together and working on the next project together.

Regardless of the genre’s downfall, Gengetone die hard fans believe the genre is still on top of the Kenyan music industry and that people should listen on rhyme/flow of the song but not judge on the content part alone. They also claim if Gengetone artists get good management and support then Gengetone will be the best music genre in Africa.

Kenyans moreso advice Gengetone artists to follow footsteps of musicians like Sauti Sol, Nyashinski, Otile Brown, Stevo simple Boy, Octopizzo etc inorder to prosper in their music despite the difference in genre. Through good music & good content, Gengetone will rise again and get plays in many platforms including Spotify, Sound cloud, Sound click, Noise trade etc.