By Erestinah Jane
July 9, 2026
Changamwe-based activist Allamini Somo has called on companies operating within Changamwe Sub-county to allocate at least 70 percent of available job opportunities to local youth, saying the move would help curb unemployment and improve the economic well-being of residents.
Speaking during a community engagement forum in Changamwe, Somo said the area hosts numerous industries, logistics firms and other businesses, yet many young people from the locality remain unemployed despite possessing the necessary qualifications and skills.
He argued that giving priority to local residents during recruitment would ensure communities directly benefit from the investments taking place in their area while strengthening relations between companies and the people they serve.
“We are calling on companies operating in Changamwe to reserve 70 percent of their job opportunities for local youth so that they can benefit from the investments taking place in their own community,” Somo said.
According to the activist, many qualified young people are routinely overlooked during recruitment, forcing them to seek employment elsewhere or remain jobless despite the abundance of businesses within the sub-county.
Somo said increased local hiring would help reduce poverty, lower crime rates and provide sustainable livelihoods for thousands of young people, while also stimulating economic growth within the community.
He urged investors to embrace corporate social responsibility by prioritizing qualified local residents whenever vacancies arise and called for transparent recruitment processes that inspire public confidence.
The activist further noted that meaningful community participation in employment opportunities would promote inclusive development and minimize tensions that occasionally emerge when residents feel excluded from projects established within their own neighborhoods.
Somo also appealed to government agencies responsible for labour and investment to collaborate with the private sector in developing policies that encourage local employment while maintaining fairness and merit-based recruitment.
Community leaders who attended the forum echoed his sentiments, describing youth unemployment as one of the most pressing challenges facing Changamwe despite its strategic position as one of Mombasa County’s key industrial, transport and logistics hubs.
They observed that creating more employment opportunities for local youth would boost household incomes, support small businesses and help address social challenges associated with prolonged unemployment.
Somo maintained that empowering young people through meaningful employment remains one of the most effective ways of building safer, more prosperous communities, adding that companies also stand to benefit by hiring residents who understand the local environment and can help foster harmonious relations between investors and host communities.
He concluded by urging both the national and county governments to strengthen policies that promote local employment while ensuring companies comply with labour laws and uphold merit during the recruitment process.
His remarks come amid growing calls from community leaders and youth organizations for greater inclusion of local residents in employment opportunities generated by both public and private sector investments across Mombasa County.
