In Kenya today, a troubling reality stares us in the face.
Young people spend three to six years in universities and colleges. Parents make sacrifices that cannot be quantified. Land is sold, loans are taken, and hope is poured into the promise that education will open doors. Graduation day comes with smiles and photographs. Then life happens.
Months turn into years of tarmacking CVs are printed, emails are sent, doors are knocked on. Many remain unanswered. It is no longer shocking to hear of a trained medical doctor sitting at home or a business administration graduate who has never practiced what they studied. Frustration builds quietly. Confidence erodes slowly. And a silent question forms in the heart: was all this effort in vain?
The problem, however, is not education. The problem is how we were taught to think about education.
For a long time, many of us were raised with a single expectation. Study hard, graduate, and get employed. Education became a narrow road leading to one destination. When that destination delays or never comes, despair follows. But education was never meant to end with employment alone. It was meant to awaken the mind, stretch imagination, and equip a person to think, create, build, and contribute meaningfully to society.
No system, however broken or efficient, owes anyone a job placement. This is a hard truth, but it is a necessary one. Governments can create policies, universities can offer knowledge, parents can provide support, but responsibility ultimately rests with the individual. Waiting indefinitely for rescue while ignoring what is already in your hands slowly robs a person of dignity.
From the beginning, God did not design humanity to depend passively on systems. Genesis 1:28, He commanded mankind to be fruitful, to multiply, to subdue the earth, and to have dominion. Dominion is not arrogance. It is responsibility. It is the ability to see what is broken, missing, or inefficient and take ownership of improving it. In our context, dominion means refusing to remain idle in the face of need. It means using skill, knowledge, and creativity to bring order where there is chaos and value where there is lack.
Every person was created to solve a problem. The tragedy is that many young people have been trained to look outward for opportunity instead of inward for capacity. The right question is not who will employ me, but what problem around me am I equipped to solve.
Kenya has living examples of young people who stopped waiting.
Take Dennis Ombachi, now known as the “Roaming Chef.” Trained as a rugby player, an injury ended his sports career. Instead of sinking into bitterness, he returned to something he loved quietly, cooking. With a phone, a kitchen, and consistency, he began sharing short cooking videos online. Today, his brand is global, working with international companies and inspiring thousands. His breakthrough did not come from waiting for a contract. It came from using what was already in his hands.
Consider Waceke Nduati, who studied actuarial science and worked briefly in corporate Kenya. She realized the path was not aligned with her strengths. She leaned into storytelling and social media, building one of Kenya’s most influential digital brands. Her education did not go to waste. It sharpened her thinking and discipline, but her impact came from courage to build.
Or Muthoni Njoba, founder of the Social House Group. She studied law but saw a gap in how young professionals wanted to experience food, art, and community. She built spaces that spoke to a generation. Today, Social House is not just a restaurant, but a cultural statement.
These are not miracles. They are decisions.
Many young people fail not because they lack ability, but because they despise humble beginnings. There is an obsession with starting at the top, with instant recognition and fast success. But only graves start from the top. Growth is a process. Scripture reminds us not to despise small beginnings because God often hides greatness in simplicity.
Begin in your house. Begin with your phone. Begin with what you know. Fan your gift into flame. Learn relentlessly. Improve daily. There is an abundance of free knowledge online. What is missing is discipline and courage to start small and stay consistent.
Make yourself so good that ignoring you becomes impossible. If you love cooking, cook until excellence becomes your signature. If it is videography, storytelling, farming, coding, or teaching, give it everything. Kings are drawn to light. Excellence announces itself.
Yet in all this, there is a warning that must not be ignored. In times of desperation, shortcuts appear attractive. The enemy is not blind to unemployment and frustration. He offers quick money, compromised paths, and opportunities that promise speed but destroy purpose. Scripture warns that not every open door is from God. Discernment matters. Test every spirit. Ask whether the path you are pursuing aligns with heaven, not just your hunger.
God must remain the foundation. Without Him, ambition becomes pride and success becomes empty. Faith, however, is not passive. Belief without action is self-deception. Faith works. It moves. It builds.
There is no room for endless complaining. Life and death truly are in the power of the tongue. What you speak, you reinforce. What you act on, you become.
Young person, your life is not on hold. Your hands are not empty. Your education was not wasted. It was an investment waiting for activation.
Stop waiting for permission. Start building. Trust God deeply and act boldly.
The world does not need more graduates who are angry at systems. It needs men and women who understand dominion and are willing to walk in it.