NAIROBI, Kenya Oct 12 – Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader Raila Odinga has pledged to allocate the youth at least four seats in his Cabinet if elected Kenya’s fifth President next year.
Speaking in Nairobi Tuesday during a forum with a section of youth from Mt Kenya region, Raila who also serves as the African Union (AU) High Representative for Infrastructure Development, said that the youth in the country need to be properly empowered to spur development.
While responding to questions raised by the youth youth leaders from Mt Kenya who met him at the University of Nairobi, Odinga stated that the younger population can be “curse or a blessing” depending on how they are used adding that if empowered they can be a source of wealth creation in the country.
“I believe strongly that we need to make use of the youth energy that we have in this country. Over 70 percent of our population is below 35 years. The youth can be a blessing or a curse depending on how you make use of them. Up to now, the use has been a curse because they have not been given the requisite tools to be able to contribute well to the society,” said Odinga his plea to the youth as he strategizes to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta whose second and final term will end in August next year.
He added that failure to empower the youth through education, they end up becoming a burden in the society and engage in drug abuse and other criminal activities.
“If you don’t give them education and the necessary skills, they they become drug addicts, they become delinquents, but if properly empowered, they become a proper source for wealth creation,” he added.
The former Prime Minister stated that the recent Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) constitution amendment process which was rejected by the courts had sought to create the Ministry of Youth Affairs and a National Youth Commission which was going to ensure whatever has been promised in policy documents is implemented.
In regards to the 30 per cent allocation for the youth, Odinga said that there needs to be a commission in place to ensure the implementation in all the 47 counties and the success of other policies.
“When I was the Prime Minister, I had roundtable meetings with the business community and also the youth. The roundtables were being held quarterly so that we can get feedback from the youth on what problems they are facing,” he added.
In addressing the issue of police brutality, the ODM party leader added that there was need for the law enforcement officers in the country to be re-trained on how to offer services and become people friendly.
He further added that the police needed proper remuneration in order to perform their duties well.
He called for the digitization of crime reporting in the country for better services to the Citizens.
Raila further emphasized that if elected president, his government will give Sh6,000 monthly for the unemployed in the country in what is seen a move to counter the bottom-up economic model by Deputy President William Ruto.
“When we get power, we don’t want to see any Kenyan starving. We are going to have a social protection fund to ensure families with no proper source of income get Sh 6,000 per month,” he said.
Raila further took a swipe on his political rivals who have labeled him the ‘enemy of the mountain’ pointing out that he has demonstrated his friendship with Mt Kenya by choosing to work with former President Mwai Kibaki when he dropped his ambitions to support him in 2002.
He is currently working closely with President Kenyatta with whom they shook hands in 2018.
Raila has dismissed recent pronouncements by Ruto that he ‘owns’ the key to the mountain adding that he does not need anybody to give him the ‘key’ to ‘climb’ the mountain.
Present in event was Mombasa governor Hassan Joho, ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, Saboti MP Caleb Hamisi, Mvita MP Abdulswamad Nassir, Royal Media Services Chairman S.K Macharia among others.
