Is CES working? Yes. We have proof
Gen Z – of which many of our students and Alumni are members – doesn’t have it easy. Opportunities are more scarce, costs are higher, and there’s more competition than ever before. I hear this while talking with young people I know here in Canada as well, some of whom are quite bitter about the world they’re inheriting, contrasting it with the world of the Baby Boom generation (which is mine).
Among Kenyans aged about 18–35, a substantial share (in the 35–45 % range, by many estimates) are unemployed or underutilized. Among those who do work, the vast majority are in the informal economy — low-security, low-productivity jobs, with precarious earnings and minimal formal protections.
The result has been the “Gen Z” protests that have been heard and felt around the world, including Kenya. They’re objecting to unemployment, a slow economy, cronyism in which Kenya’s wealthy create opportunities for each other, corruption in which tax and aid funds are diverted, tribalism in which opportunities go to those from one’s own tribe, and nepotism in which jobs and contracts go to one’s own family
Young Kenyans, especially digitally active Gen Zers, organized via TikTok, X, and WhatsApp. In June 2024, thousands breached security around Parliament, entering the complex, burning parts of the building, clashing with police. Security forces fired on protesters; deaths, injuries, and arrests followed.
So how are members of the CES family doing, in the face of these difficulties?
The photograph above, taken in June 2025, is telling. It was taken by one of the staff at the main restaurant that’s part of the Sheywe Guest House. That’s the complex where CES Kenya has its office, and which has become a home away from home for many CES Canada visitors.
Starting from the mzungu (which is the Swahili term for “white person”) to the left (that’s me), we have:
Peninah Omukunda, a nursing graduate that CES supported through part of her secondary school and, with a partial scholarship, through medical college too. She’s now a qualified nurse. When I spoke to her, she was working in a medical setting, as a sales representative for a major company, in their injectable family planning division. Peninah’s qualifications as a nurse mean that she’ll not only be able to explain the products in terms that the medical staff will understand, she has professional credibility. The fact that Peninah has a full-time job with a salary puts her well ahead of many young Kenyans. To learn more about Peninah, you can hear her story about CES here).
Sharon Walekhwa, in the red turban, is an agricultural engineer – appropriate in a country where a huge amount of the economy is based on agriculture, either as landowners, subsistence farmers, or farm workers. Having this sector as efficient as possible is important, and it’s something Sharon is passionate about. When I spoke with her in June 2025, she was an instructor in a technical college. She’s since been accepted with a full-ride scholarship from MasterCard to do her Masters degree in agricultural engineering. To learn more -- for an interview with Sharon, click here. Her future is bright.
Joshua Ouma Namisi is pursuing Bachelor of Science Medicine and Surgery at Uzima University in Kisumu, Kenya. CES supported him in secondary school and now with a partial scholarship. He’s got a long road ahead of him, but thanks to support from CES donors he’s able to see that road unfolding before him (join Joshua as he tells his story here).
Juma (Edwin) Nyongesa, in back and as usual elegantly dressed, is the Chair of our Alumni group. CES supported Juma through his secondary school and university, as he trained to be a teacher. He’s now got a full-time teaching role at one of the leading high schools in Kakamega, Bishop Sulumeti Girls Secondary School, a boarding school where many of our students have attended.
Mwanarabu (just call her “Mwana”) Otswang came from a difficult family background (as all our students do – we’re in the business of helping students from financially stressed families), and we supported her through her time at Kakamega Muslim Secondary School, and then through university to study public health. Although Mwana spent years in a volunteer role to gain experience in her field, she hasn’t been able to find work that matches her area of study. She now earns a living as a hair stylist, supporting her family. We’re encouraging Mwana to continue to pursue her dreams.