Justina Wamae castigates internships as modern-day slavery, demands urgent labour reforms
By Kiprono Keileb, September 14, 2025Former Roots Party deputy presidential candidate Justina Wamae has raised concern over the plight of young Kenyans in the job market, describing unpaid internships as modern-day slavery.
In a statement posted on Sunday, September 14, 2025, on her official X account, Wamae said that many companies are taking advantage of the country’s struggling economy to exploit the youth by using their skills for free.
“Internships today are modern-day slavery,” Wamae stated firmly.
She explained that businesses, facing financial constraints, have opted to cut hiring costs by relying on unpaid labour from Gen Z graduates and job seekers.
Watch: Govt partners with private sector to launch robust internship programme for graduates
According to her, this practice not only undermines the dignity of work but also denies millions of young people fair entry into the workforce.
Policy and legislation call
Wamae urged policymakers to step in with strong reforms to address the imbalance. She said Kenya needs a structured labour framework that ensures companies are profitable enough to hire fairly while absorbing the nation’s workforce.
“We should demand that policies and legislation must order the disorder in our factors of production so that companies can make profits to be in a position to hire PAID labour in addition to optimally using all our 24 million available labour force in the economy in a formal, structured manner, whilst assuring them decent incomes,” she emphasised.
Wamae noted that conversations around internships should go beyond generational comparisons and instead focus on building a better foundation for those coming after.
“It’s not about what we as the older generation did or went through; it’s about making it easier for future generations,” she added.
Bigger national agenda
She concluded by stressing that creating wealth and opportunities for Kenyans should be prioritised above political theatrics.
“Creating wealth for the nation of Kenya is the ONLY agenda, bigger than wantam and tutam shenanigans,” Wamae said.
Her remarks add to the growing national debate on youth unemployment and the future of work in Kenya, where many young graduates are increasingly finding themselves trapped in cycles of unpaid internships with little chance of permanent employment.