Nairobi — A common assumption among economists is that the "rising tide will float even small boats", meaning that economic growth is supposed to lift even the very poor out of squalor.

It follows that as long as a majority of the population remains unemployed and shackled to extreme poverty, Kenya's claim to economic growth is fallacious.

Poverty among youth due to joblessness remains an indictment of the coalition government's performance.

In the wake of the 2008 post-election violence, the Kenya National Dialogue and Reconciliation team noted that politicians exploited youths' poverty to mobilise them into violence that left 1,133 dead, more than 650,000 displaced, and property worth billions of shillings destroyed.

Yet, three years later, can our leaders really claim that unemployment has been reduced? Do they have an idea how hard it is to be a youth, with a life to live and without income?

On a typical day, a Kenyan youth will wake up, stroll to the roadside and while away the morning counting new car models.

By noon, hunger strikes, yet the youth will not have even Sh20 for a plate of githeri. By evening the devil has successfully recruited an instrument of robbery or prostitution.

Drugs and alcohol are handy courage-boosters for the risky mission that puts the young on a collision course with police, or they are exposed to HIV infection.

Now, the government wants us to accept joblessness among youth as natural while it actually diminishes life's chances for millions.

The reality is that the political leadership lacks creativity, innovativeness and vision. How come in other countries, political leaders have managed to reduce unemployment?

When one hears that the former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva pulled 24 million out of poverty through job creation, the inevitable reaction is, "why not our leaders?"

That there are no quick fixes to youth unemployment does not completely negate practical solutions.

Solving youth unemployment is a major component of the National Accord, and while projects such as Kazi kwa Vijana and Youth Enterprise Fund may be well-meaning, they do not empower youth because they are riddled with political manipulation.

The situation of youth unemployment demands that the government treat it as a national crisis demanding urgent, radical and result-oriented policies.

An employment bureau should be established to collect, assess and act on data concerning the number of unemployed youths, their level of education and skills, their geographical spread and their preferred occupations.

This will reveal millions of pairs of hands available and willing to participate in the realisation of Vision 2030. Development cannot be achieved when the majority of the population is excluded from economic participation. Job-creation must feature in any effective economic growth strategy. For instance, adopting youth-friendly economic policies such as one man one job, strict retirement at age 55, reserving 30 per cent of government procurement for youthful entrepreneurs, and investments in sports, music and the arts.

At the same time, corruption hurts people especially youth, who miss out on opportunities and grow increasingly frustrated.

The leaders must stop paying lip-service to the fight against graft and insist on open governance, the rule of law, and stronger anti-corruption institutions.

On the other hand, young people should be responsible enough to keep off drugs, alcohol and crime.