Kitavi Mutua
5 July 2009
Nairobi — President Kibaki's son Jimmy Kibaki on Sunday urged the youth to join hands under an umbrella mass movement if they want to take over the country's leadership in 2012.
Presiding over the launch of a national youth movement dubbed Simama Kenya at Nzambani location in Kitui district, the younger Kibaki said the youth should use their numerical voting strength to ensure that younger people are elected to leadership positions.
"My father was first elected to parliament at the age of 32, we should believe in ourselves as youth that we are no longer the leaders of tomorrow and start competing for positions now" he said.
He said the Simama Kenya movement would borrow heavily on what United States President Barack Obama achieved with his message of hope to eventually winning hotly contested elections against many odds.
"With more than 16 million votes in the country today being people below the age of 40, nothing stops in the way of this generation taking control and deciding the destiny of the country" he said.
Mr Kibaki, 46, further said the youth movement would be about reconciling the country's ethnic communities with a strong message for hope, an end to election violence and tribalism.
"Simama Kenya will ensure the youth are not misused to engage in election violence or be used as stepping stone by others to ascend to top leadership" he said adding no one can become a Kenyan citizen more than once and that the youth are the majority.
However, former Kibwezi MP Kalembe Ndile dismissed the movement as another political gimmick to mislead the youth for selfish political interests saying he was out parliament for having stood by President Kibaki.
Mr Ndile almost spoiled the party when he accused the President's son of double standards alleging his father, the Head of State had misused and dumped him during the 2007 general elections.
"Be careful when dealing with these self confessed saviours of the youth, I've been a victim before and I lost my Parliamentary seat because President Kibaki misused me to go round the country campaigning for him in exchange for nothing" he said.
The President's son told Mr Ndile that his father had not forgotten about the useful role he played in his Presidential re-election campaign.
"As a family we acknowledge your immense contribution to our father Presidential campaign and we have not forgotten about you" Jimmy said.
Mr Kibaki who was accompanied by three MPs and a host of Nairobi businessmen said he had not launched a revolutionary movement to force the older generations of politicians to retire with his father in 2012.
Present were MPs Kiema Kilonzo (Mutito), Jeremiah Kioni (Ndaragwa) and Abdulrahman Hassan (Wajir South).
Mr Kilonzo and ODM activist Tony Gachoka said the movement was keen to bridge political party divide and produce young leaders who can offer fresh leadership.
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