Richard Chesos
16 March 2006
Nairobi — President Kibaki has said his Government is committed to fighting the many challenges facing the youth.
The President said this was the reason he had created a ministry to deal with the affairs of the youth, who constitute more than 60 per cent of the population.
He was addressing hundreds of young people during the launch of the Youth Affairs Ministry's Vision at Kenyatta International Conference Centre in Nairobi.
And the young people had one message for the Head of State: "Empower us and we shall play a key role in the development of the country."
Said the President: "I appeal to the youth everywhere in the country to bear in mind that my Government is committed to empowering them through various democratic structures we have established."
He urged MPs to support the initiatives by setting aside money from the Constituency Development Fund to finance youth projects.
And it was an occasion for the young people to unlock their immense energy by dancing, singing, reciting poems and even performing acrobatics to celebrate the announcement.
Poetess Carol Nderitu electrified the gathering, which included Cabinet ministers, their assistants, diplomats and donor representatives, with a poem on the dreams of the youth.
Describing the youth as "innovative and dynamic", the President said the Government would empower them for faster development.
The President's announcement is a welcome move for the youth, who have for long complained of being sidelined in mainstream development.
When he named his Cabinet and parastatal bosses, soon after his swearing-in in 2002, Kenyans complained that he had appointed older people, who did not deserve the jobs as much as the youth.
In another landmark announcement, Kibaki directed all the ministries to open up youth desks to ensure that all Government policies were sensitive to the needs of the more than 18 million young Kenyans.
Amid applause, the President announced that charges for national identity card applications had been scrapped and asked the youth to demand their IDs in case of a delay in processing.
The President said the Government would rehabilitate 750 youth polytechnics in the country to enable them offer training in competitive and marketable skills.
He also ordered a review of the training, curriculum and equipment in all National Youth Service training institutions to ensure that they were in line with today's job market demands.
He asked the ministry to look into the possibility of establishing a revolving fund to enable viable youth business ventures access capital.
The event also marked the launch of preparations for the forthcoming Youth Employment Summit (YES), to be held in Kenya in September.
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