Youth Leaders want presidential candidates to actively involve them ahead of elections » Capital News

NAIROBI, Kenya Dec 6 – A national caucus bringing together youth leaders from across all the political parties have issued a raft of proposals to top political leaders in the country as part of measures to safeguard the interests of the youth as the country heads into the General Election next year.

Top on the proposals issued Monday is for presidential candidates to “plug in youth political players in their Secretariat’s to influence address of youth challenges through the manifesto.”

The proposals were announced following a meeting of the National Youth Leaders Caucus held in Nairobi during a breakfast meeting attended by influential youth leaders, among them Alex Matere who is a Board Member at the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) and Anthony Manyara, the President of the Kenya Universities Students’ Organisation (KUSO) who was recently named to President of the East African Student’s Union (EASU).

The youth leaders said political leaders have always kept away the youth while formulating their manifestoes hence end up not incorporating their views to helo solve unemployment and other challenges facing the youth.

Youth leaders want to be involved actively in decision-making ahead of elections.

Below are proposals the youth came up with at the breakfast meeting:

1. The interregnum and confusion witnessed in IEBC espoused by the tug of war between the Chair and the CEO is a recipe for chaos and it needs urgent and immediate address.

2. Elections are not an event but a process that needs all hands on board from all relevant stakeholders. Forthwith, IEBC Chair is advised to reinstate the commission in the Election Preparedness Committee with immediate effect.

3. Active and realistic political engagement and participation of the youth in political parties. It’s time the youth graduate from the bouncing castle and attend the main party.

4. Political parties to waive or subsidize nomination fees for youth aspirants and do nominations through popular suffrage to protect the youth from current political actors who are keen of circumventing the wheel of the people through consensus or delegates method.

5. Presidential candidates should plug in youth political players in their Secretariat to influence and address youth challenges through the manifestos.

6. The youth are the key stakeholders in the next election and should be central in electoral preparations starting with voter registration. The caucus is demanding for a meeting with IEBC focused on the development of a voter registration strategy targeting the youth from next year.

7. Divisive Elections have been a source of violence, loss of lives, ethnic antagonism, and disruption of the economy. We call out IEBC to rise to the occasion far from the current complacency, appreciate the momentous national task ahead.

8. There is an urgent need to carry out extensive and robust sensitisation of young people on the NYC elections staged for early next year.