Let BBI guide this year's youth policy

As we inch towards Vision 2030, which lays out a long term economic plan for Kenya’s development, it is important to be conscious of our national goals.

This kind of awareness should consider the challenges we face as a nation if we want to overcome them. 

This kind of visionary planning seems to be what President Uhuru Kenyatta had in mind when he set the wheels of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) in motion.

The process that began with a simple handshake has made significant progress in listening to the voices of Kenyans.

Kenyan politics is no longer a game of the privileged elite. It is not them against us, it is them for us.

The people we elected are either listening or figuring out how best to listen. Politicians who have used their wealth and connections to engage in corruption and gain popularity are no longer welcome in the political landscape. The government’s anti-corruption campaign has shown this in recent weeks and I have no doubt that this will continue in 2020.

The New Year is a time to set new goals, figure out what is going well and what we can improve.   

Many Kenyans spend this time of the year wondering about what opportunities the New Year will bring. They ask what kind of job security the government is going to offer them and if the economy is growing.

They hope that Kenya’s economy, when they become senior citizens, will grow to enable them live comfortably. 

The BBI offers answers to these questions. At no point in our nation’s history has the government invested heavily in determining what the people want. 

The youth face mass unemployment and an uncertain future. If properly implemented, the BBI can take the youth move many steps forward.

The document names corruption as one of the biggest issues facing our society. Corruption makes only the most powerful and well-connected even stronger, while blocking any opportunity for the poor to make any progress. We have acknowledged this issue and the anti-graft campaign is slowly changing it.

Another item that will improve the opportunities available to the youth is eliminating obstacles for budding entrepreneurs.

Now, upcoming Kenyan entrepreneurs find it difficult to progress due to barriers.

This is due to government policies, corruption, cronyism and nepotism. The situation is not yet perfect for our children. But in the spirit of 2019’s unity, we can all share the common desire to give them a new and improved Kenya. 

The opportunity has already been presented to us through the BBI. It would be foolish not to support this chance and let it guide a new way of thinking in future.