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HARNESSING THE KENYAN YOUTH POTENTIAL FOR ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATIVE RESULTS

Serve the Youth: Keep the Promise. Tumikia Vijana: Timiza Ahadi

#MyVoteKenya #TimizaAhadi

The Context | Key Facts

In Kenya, young people below the age of 35 constitute 75% of the country’s population. Yet they are under- represented in many facets of Kenyan life. For the youth to participate fully in economic empowerment they require education and skills; good health and wellbeing; and good governance. This can be achieved by providing an enabling environment in public and private sectors for youth empowerment and meaningful participation.

Unfortunately, socio-economic empowerment for the youth is still wanting and they face many challenges including:

  • The high level of unemployment and underemployment; over 30% are unable to secure gainful employment despite their capabilities;
  • Inadequate capital to invest in income generating initiatives;
  • High tax burden hindering investment by young people;
  • Less responsive government services and inadequate implementation of affirmative programmes;
  • Poor access of and inadequate youth centered health services including sexual reproductive health;
  • Health access and utilization challenges in relation to finance, geographic and socio-cultural barriers;
  • Inequalities: 29% of 15-34-year-old Kenyans are Not in Employment, Education, or Training1, young females being 42% while male peers are 14%. 25% and 64% of Kenyan girls drop out of primary and secondary school respectively. This helps to explain the high teenage pregnancy.
  • Inability to participate effectively in socio-economic and political processes leading to apathy;
  • Inadequate information on existing government programmes targeting the youth

Kenya domesticated the African Union’s Demographic Dividend Roadmap2 in 2015 and revised in 2020. The main objective of this roadmap is to deliberately enhance Kenya’s efforts to harnesses the youth potential to create a globally competitive and prosperous nation with a high quality of life for all citizens through the attainment of a demographic dividend.

The roadmap focuses on four key pillars namely:

  1. Health and wellbeing;
  2. Education and skills development;
  3. Employment and entrepreneurship; and
  4. Rights, governance and youth empowerment.

 

By prioritizing these key pillars and implementing them Kenya will reap the youth potential and translate the youth bulge from a time bomb to economic transformation.

#Timiza Ahadi Call to Action by the Kenyan Youth

Youth serving organizations have mobilized a broad-based coalition, of Kenyan youth who are calling for the following actions to give life to the Kenya Demographic Dividend roadmap and the transformative outcomes around 2022 political commitments, CIDPs and Vision 2030's MTP4 it envisions.

We, the Kenyan Youth call for;

Economy:

Job Opportunities for All to make Kenya a High Income Country

  1. Invest in sectors with high job-multiplier effects such as ICT, manufacturing and agriculture to create mass employment and spur inclusive growth through incentives and predictable regulations.
  2. Develop and support transformative initiatives towards building the skills (especially digital and talents) and capacities of youth
  3. Enhance youth, especially young women, access to ring-fenced government procurement and timely payments targeting them
  4. Improve access to credit facilities including reorganizing and expanding existing affirmative funds
  5. Create a conducive environment for business and corporate social responsibilities with the aim of supporting youth targeting entrepreneurship.
  6. Taxation incentives and implement fair and responsive tax policies for the youth
Health:

Securing Health and Wellbeing within National UHC Framework

  1. Develop and communicate standard UHC benefits package, registration method that enables inter county access and clear mode of payments.
  2. Incentivize Primary Health Care Workforce (training, recognition, rewards and fair promotions) to improve their attitude towards quality and responsive youth friendly services for improved access.
  3. Prioritization and strengthening of adolescents and youth health promotion, preventive and referral programmes at PHC to reduce curative burdens
  4. Invest in sustainable Reproductive maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health and nutrition medical products and supplies and technologies, and address persistent commodities stock outs.
  5. Implement UHC pilot lessons on health security including hybrid financing mechanism through tax funds contributed by Government and social health insurance through NHIF.
  6. Enhance meaningful youth engagement and participation in health facilities’ management and form National Health Commission to enhance coordination within devolution framework.
  7. Strengthen emergency preparedness and response mechanisms and health literacy on emerging and remerging issues like pandemics, epidemics and communicable diseases.
Education:

Accessible and Quality for Better Economy, Health and Wellbeing

  1. Address education inequalities in marginalised and rural communities, with a focus on digital learning Expand vocational training opportunities and industry to enhance employability.
  2. Improve inclusive access to education at all levels and provide viable alternatives, particularly adolescent girls, who drop out of the formal educational system.
  3. Adopt a life course approach to learning that encompasses a wide range of subjects and topics, including livelihood and life skills.
  4. Make higher education loan interest free and permanently waiver HELB penalties.
Governance and Participation:

Accountability and Platforms for Engagement

  1. Strengthen independent youth organisations including full implementation of NYC Act at national and county levels to champion youth activities, and invest in youth work professionalization.
  2. Eliminate barriers to effective youth participation in nation building including political parties, parliaments, and judiciary, and executive structures. Also support meaningful public participation, fiscal openness and budget transparency.
  3. Proscribe all laws posing barriers to the full exercise and enjoyment of the fundamental rights of young people to fully participate in the democratic governance processes.
  4. Review, revise, amend or abolish all laws, regulations, policies, practices and customs that have a discriminatory impact on youth especially girls and young women.

Implementation: Kenya develops and highlights issues through very progressive policies and laws but poor in implementation. To realize the commitments, we need; Dedicated Financing, Operationalization of Youth Sector Working Group, substantive County Youth Departments, Open Government and National Youth Development Index to track progress.

The Youth are the Future: Empower the youth to transform Kenya.

For more information contact: info@myvotekenya.org

www.myvotekenya.org

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