Breakthrough: Jobless graduate who went viral after he took to the streets with a placard pleading for a job landed a well-paying NGO job (PHOTOs).

 

Sunday, February 4, 2024 - Caliph Kirui went viral last year after he went to the streets with a placard to look for a job.

Kirui was armed with a BSc in Microbiology & Biotech from the University of Nairobi and an MSc in Public Health from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT).

He graduated in December 2022 and embarked on an intense job search.

After tarmacking for long, he decided to try his luck by raising a placard in the streets, hoping to catch the attention for potential employers.

Kirui is now working as an early career researcher in the Chronic Diseases Management Unit (CDM) at the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC).

Kirui said a call from Catherine Kyobutungi, the Executive Director of APHRC, changed his life.

“She asked me if I would be interested in an internship opportunity at the Center since there was no open position then. I expressed my interest in the position,” he said.

After an interview, he commenced his three-month internship.

After his internship, he worked as a field interviewer and a temporary research officer before securing a job as an employee of APHRC.

“At the end of the internship, I worked as a field interviewer in one of the Center’s projects for a month, and after that, I got a new contract as a temporary research officer for three months. 

"A month into the new contract, after an assessment and recommendation from my supervisors, I finally got the chance to serve as a regular employee at the Center.

"Looking back, I am grateful that I made the right choice to take up the APHRC opportunity,” he said.

Adding, “The work environment is amazing, full of mentorship, supportive colleagues, and innumerable opportunities for learning and growth. It is impossible for a determined and disciplined person to fail at APHRC. 

"I am grateful for the chance that APHRC gave me to prove myself and contribute to the Center’s goals,’’.

He encouraged jobless graduates who are searching for jobs to keep hope alive.

How it started.

How it is going.

The Kenyan DAILY POST.