Nairobi, Jan. 25 -- As a mid-level manager at a beverage company, the thought of job loss had never occurred to Charles Otieno. Having lost his first job for underperformance, he had vowed to prove himself in his new role.

Soon he was one of his employer's high performers. As such, his job was secure.

But then the worst happened and he suddenly found himself without work. Through his networks, he however landed a role at an audit multinational.

Again, he was laid off just when he had started to establish himself at the company. He got another job that he soon lost.

After going through the ordeal four times, his self-esteem skidded as his confidence in employers hit a new low. ''There is no way these employers could all be wrong about ...