The Principal Secretary for Industry, Dr. Juma Mukhwana officially opened the 19th Annual Kenyatta University Career Week, delivering a powerful call to action for young people to shape Kenya’s and Africa’s industrial future.
The event, held at Kenyatta University, was co-officiated by the institution’s Acting Vice Chancellor, Prof. John Okumu, and brought together students, academics, and industry stakeholders under the theme “Kenya’s Moment to Rise, Dream, and Change the World.”
In his keynote address, Dr. Mukhwana emphasized that Career Week was not merely about employment opportunities, but about life purpose and national transformation. He noted that Kenyatta University had consistently demonstrated that education should go beyond certification to drive individual, community, and national change.
“Every generation is given a moment by history,” he said, noting that today’s youth stand at a defining crossroads shaped by the Fourth Industrial Revolution. He highlighted emerging sectors such as artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, biotechnology, clean energy, and data as key drivers of future prosperity.
The PS observed that while Africa accounts for nearly 17 percent of the global population, it produces less than 3 percent of global manufactured output. Rather than viewing this as a failure, he described it as an opportunity for innovation, value addition, and leadership.
He pointed to Kenya’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, which prioritizes manufacturing, enterprise development, and the Buy Kenya, Build Kenya initiative, as a pathway to inclusive growth.
He further outlined government efforts to strengthen industrialization through Special Economic Zones, industrial parks, the County Aggregation and Industrial Parks (CAIPs), and the digital economy agenda, noting that policies alone are insufficient without skilled and courageous people to implement them.
Addressing students directly the PS challenged them to dream beyond job-seeking. “Ask not only who will employ you, but what you can build,” he urged, calling on universities to produce creators and innovators rather than passive job seekers.
He urged students to rise above fear and comfort to drive Africa’s prosperity. “This is Kenya’s moment to industrialize. This is Africa’s moment to create prosperity. This is your moment to dream boldly and change the world.”