President William Ruto has said more than 150,000 graduates applied for 50,000 government-paid internship opportunities within 24 hours of the programme being announced. He shared the figures on Thursday, November 5, during a ceremony at State House in Nairobi.
Ruto said applications were being received through a digital platform. He explained that the programme was intended to help young people from universities, colleges and technical and vocational training institutions gain practical experience in workplaces.
The number of applicants is three times the 50,000 positions planned for the first phase. The response points to strong demand among graduates seeking opportunities to use the skills they acquired during their studies.
The programme is expected to begin in January 2027. Ruto said successful interns would receive between KSh20,000 and KSh25,000 each month. The government will meet the payments, including for those placed in private companies.
The placements will cover public service institutions and participating businesses. The President said he had held discussions with industry representatives, including the Kenya Association of Manufacturers, on how companies could take part.
He added that the government would work with universities to prepare for the rollout. Ruto plans to meet university vice-chancellors before Christmas to discuss the programme and ways to connect graduates with employers.
The President has outlined plans to expand the initiative beyond the initial 50,000 positions. The government aims to increase the number to 100,000 and later 200,000 over the next two to three years.
The programme is intended to ease the move from education to employment by giving graduates exposure to professional settings. However, the first intake will have fewer places than the number of people who have already applied.
Further details on selection, placements and the application process are expected from the government as preparations continue ahead of the January start.
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