NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 17 – Businessman Chris Kirubi has challenged the youth to seek positions of authority in the government, saying that is a sure way of ensuring change in the country’s leadership.
Speaking at the opening of a Youth Forum in Gigiri, Kirubi further urged them not to fall prey to falsehoods peddled by politicians during campaigns.
“Women can also be marginalised by the older women by not allowing younger women to shine and come up so that everything is heaped and owned by older women who think they have experience,” he said.
“Have we sorted out the issue of equality and equitable distribution of opportunities?”
He called on the youth to channel their energies in coming up with entrepreneurship projects which will have a positive impact on the economy.
“You have energy and a long shelf life that you can serve an organisation. We do have laws that can give us that fair play,” he stated.
The industrialist further observed that youth unemployment and underemployment remain Kenya’s most urgent development challenges to-date.
“There are close to 10 million young pairs of willing and able hands that remain unutilised in a country that is groping to achieve its own Vision 2030. While the coalition government would like us to believe that youth unemployment is a problem, to the contrary, this is a challenge that can be turned into an prosperity opportunity by passionate, creative, innovative and visionary leadership,” he said.
He urged leaders to take notice of the people since they exude confidence which can be channelled to productive use.
“The coalition leaders must wake up to the reality that an estimated 64 percent of unemployed persons are youths, and for those who are employed, majority are victims of an unregulated informal sector where workers are subjected to long working hours without any formal contracts and earn very low wages,” he said.
“The advisors of the coalition leaders must summon courage to inform them that Kazi Kwa Vijana and Youth Enterprise Fund is a waste of tax payers money and should be disbanded unless it is rid of politics and ran professionally.”
