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Kenyan youths most hopeless about future of Africa - Survey
Africa’s youth are less optimistic about the future of their countries than they were two years ago – and they are even more pessimistic if they live in Kenya, Rwanda, or South Africa.
The latest survey conducted by Ichikowitz Foundation, a South African philanthropist family says the Covid-19 pandemic and ongoing global volatility have raised the level of pessimism.
''Effects of Covid-19 on the economy, instability all play a role in the drop in sentiment, followed by corruption, poor standards of education and the availability of decent jobs.,'' the survey shows.
Most of the young people aged between 18-24 years, however, are only slightly more positive about the continent’s future.
About 77 per cent are scared they will not be able to buy their own homes, with three-quarters of them believing owning land is vital for their financial wellbeing.
For this reason, two-thirds of them will marry later than their parents did, 72 per cent intend to have fewer children.
Even so, despite all that, 77 per cent of them believe their lives will improve in the next two years.
''More than two-thirds are convinced they will lead better lives than their parents. They are determined to control their own destiny,'' the survey shows.
If their governments can’t help them achieve this, they’ll do it themselves, with three-quarters of them intending to start their own businesses, even if access to capital remains a major barrier for most of them.
Technology will play a major part in those start-ups just as it does in their current lives.
Wi-Fi is seen as a basic human right, but two-thirds of African youth find it very expensive, with only 12 per cent able to afford it every day.
Three-quarters of them spend an hour a day on social media to get their news and help work out what’s fake and what’s real.
They are switched on about geopolitics and see China as the most influential – and positive – player on the continent, followed in descending order by the US, the AU, the EU, the WTO and the UK.
But there is also a growing negative sentiment about China and foreign companies who extract the continent’s raw materials without properly reinvesting in the countries where they are taking it from.
More than a third of South Africans, Ugandans and Ethiopians see foreign influence as negative.
These are just some of the highlights from the second edition of the African Youth Survey that has now taken the pulse of just under 10,000 youths since its inception in 2019.
As industrialist and foundation chairman Ivor Ichikowitz explains: “When this survey was first launched, I believed that the time was right to test the pulse of this youth group because they are, like their age group in South Africa, ‘born frees’.
According to industrialist and foundation chairman Ivor Ichikowitz, this African generation is free from the inter-generational burden of emerging from the shackles of centuries of colonialism.
"The survey proves beyond any doubt that the current cohort of African youth was aware of the risks they faced, but conscious of the things they would have to address to achieve their dreams,'' Ichikowitz said.
At least 83 per cent of the respondents are concerned about ethnic minorities, with as many again concerned about gender-based violence and 64 per cent believing that their countries have a duty to assist refugees.
But there’s still a lot of work to be done when it comes to protecting the LGBTQ+ community and it’s terribly sad to read how almost half of the youth have suffered some form of identity or other discrimination.
Tough times begun one day after Kenya's new president was sworn in
A removal of fuel subsidy has sent petrol and electricity prices to the roof as the country's tax authority hikes excise taxes in an inflation adjustment plan.
For many Kenyans, life was unbearable during former president Uhuru Kenyatta’s reign. But just one day after new president William Ruto’s inauguration, life is getting more onerous, after the lifting of a fuel subsidy that had kept the price of petrol, diesel and kerosene the lowest in eastern Africa.
“On fuel subsidy alone, taxpayers have spent a total of $1.2 billion [since 2020],” Ruto said during his inauguration before projecting that if it continues till June next year, it will cost Kenyans $2.4 billion. To cushion manufacturers and processors against high production costs, the government has spent $74 million in fuel subsidies since April last year.
The move is seen as Ruto bowing to pressure from the International Monetary Fund, which in July set a new condition for the Kenyan government, requiring a removal of the fuel subsidy by October under a 38-month $2.34 billion loan.
Motorists could be seen queuing at petrol stations in Nairobi on the night of Sept.14, scrambling to fuel their cars before new prices take effect on Sept. 15 and last till Oct. 15.
The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (Epra) has raised the price of petrol, diesel and kerosene by 12.7%, 17.8%, and 16.4% respectively.
Epra has also increased the cost of electricity by 15.7%. Industrial power consumers will now pay even more as the pass-through costs now account for more than a third of power bills.https://twitter.com/johnallannamu/status/1570104951094890500?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1570104951094890500%7Ctwgr%5E4d6d99db11dfbb6a8571e12fab91aab514e83fb9%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fqz.com%2Fembed%2Finset%2Fiframe%3Fid%3Dtwitter-1570104951094890500autosize%3D1
Content creators in Kenya fault govt’s 15% tax, call for formation of union to fight exploitation
Kenya-based content creators have faulted the William Ruto-led government’s plan to introduce a 15% withholding tax on income generated from digital content monetization. The proposal to tax content creators in Kenya is part of the many revisions intended for the Finance Bill. If approved by the nation’s legislature, any income obtained from the monetisation of a creator’s content will be subject to the 15% tax.
Although this move will help the East African country widen its tax base, it’s worth exploring the potential implications for those directly affected. The creator economy in Africa is booming with young individuals leveraging platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok to advertise products and get paid. Many brands have also signed some of the popular creators, turning them into influencers for products and services.
Interestingly, a Selar report found that 66.9% of digital content creators “hire one staff or more in the first six months of their journey.” Aside from offering jobs which translate into income, the creator market can give Africa’s economy a much-needed boost.
Popular comedian and content creator, Alex Mathenge said he does not have a problem with being taxed, however, the government hasn’t done anything for content creators to earn the right to demand taxes. “You cannot milk a cow which you’ve not given grass,” he said.
He went ahead to state that before the government moves to tax content creators, it must first build an environment that supports the efforts of those in the digital economy.
Another content creator, Mohammed Assad Alby – a TikTok star backed his colleague. According to him, quality jobs are difficult to find in Kenya which is why many youths have shifted to content creation because it offers an innovative way to make money. He however warned that making money in the industry isn’t easy
One thing people don’t know is that before we get to a point where we can earn money from content, we spend so much from our own pockets with a slim chance of making it in the competitive industry. Cameras, laptops, editing software, microphones, lighting, all this equipment is expensive in Kenya.
Alby took it a notch further to blame a section of their industry, especially those known to flood social media with photos of newly-bought luxurious cars and majestic homes for the reason why the government is casting its spotlight on the industry. He pointed out that such lifestyles may have contributed to the mindset that there’s plenty of money in the industry even though this isn’t so.
Another content generator, Kevin Maina believes the policy will further strain the market and possibly discourage other individuals from entering the field. “It is likely to affect the quality of work. Because higher taxes on the same income only strain your capacity to invest more in the craft,” he says.
“The Finance Bill, 2023 wants to raise revenue through tax, but Kenyans are being crushed by the high cost of living,stagnant and limited income,” it stated. On specific proposals in the Bill, 94 percent of respondents indicated they completely do not support a plan to raiseValue Added Tax (VAT) on fuel products from 8 percent to 16 percent, as 2.2 percent said they slightly do not support the proposal. This was the proposal rejected by most Kenyans, among the respondents. Only 1.7 percent of the respondents indicated that they completely support the proposal. At least 92.4 percent of the respondents completely do not support the proposed 3 percent house levy (which was revised downwards to 1.5 percent by the National Assembly’s Finance committee), with only 3 percent of respondents indicating complete support. Also, 90 percent of the respondents completely do not support a proposal to raise the excise tax on mobile money transfer services from 12 per cent to 15 per cent, but 2.5 per cent said they completely support it. Eighty-one per cent of the respondents completely don’t support the planned raise of turnover tax to 3 percent, while 47.1 percent also said they completely don’t support a proposal to lower the Turnover Tax band from businesses with annual revenue of Sh1 million to Sh500,000, the survey stated. But interestingly, more than 38 percent of the respondents indicated support for the proposal to bring in small businesses (with daily revenues averaging Sh1,370) into the Turnover Tax band, where they will pay 3 per cent of revenues irrespective of whether they make profits, should the Bill pass. While not in the Finance Bill, 66 percent of the respondents also said they don’t support a plan to set a standard National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) contributions at 2.7 percent of salary, on grounds of corruption at the fund that has seen hospitals continue to offer poor services despite citizens’ contributions to the Fund.
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