President Uhuru and PSC must consider youth in their appoints of CSs and PSs..

There are few things the government needs to look into without necessarily compelling interested groups to seek legal redress as pertains appointments.
1. The requirement of 15 years experience before one can be appointed Principle Secretary is discriminatory to the youth of Kenya and is against the spirit and letter of Articles 27, 55 and 56 of the constitution. With the 15 years' experience requirement the earliest one can be a PS is at age 42! Minimum age of joining college is 20, 4 years of an undergraduate, 2 years of a masters degree that is also a prerequisite, then 15 years working experience 5 of them must have been in top management!
2. In the same spirit and letter of article 27, 55 and 56 among other provisions, the cabinet appointments as so far witnessed have no youth as defined in the National Youth Council Act of 2009, Article to 260 of the constitution of Kenya and the National Youth Policy of 2007.

The President and Public Service Commission (PSC) must ensure that these provision of the law are met in the remaining appointments of PSs and CSs otherwise this trend will precipitate a court action and its also bad for the image of the government.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/National-Youth-Council-Kenya/646885318659674

UP, CLOSE AND CANDID ON THE NATIONAL YOUTH COUNCIL

Profile:

The National Youth Council is a statutory organ; body corporate established pursuant to the Kenya National Youth Council Act, number 10 of 2009 to act as an advisory, research and policy institution on youth affairs in the country.

Mandate:

The National Youth Council as established through the National Youth Council Act, 2009 is mandated to among other things co-ordinate youth organizations, design and continuously review the National Youth Policy. It’s also tasked with developing an "integrated national youth development plan" in collaboration with the ministry responsible for youth affairs.

Here are some of the primary functions:

·         Promote and popularize the National Youth Policy

·         Ensure structures are established and developed for effective implementation of the policy

·         Design key performance indicators and mechanisms to ensure adherence to policy.

Functions:

The National Youth Council will, among other functions:

 (a) regulate and co-ordinate activities and initiatives relating to the

youth being undertaken by youth groups, youth focused community-

based organizations, non-governmental organizations, civil society

movements and other organizations;

(b) promote and popularize the national youth policy and other policies

that affect the youth;

(c) facilitate the periodic review of the national youth policy in line with

other government policy statements;

(d) mobilize resources to support and fund youth programmes and

initiatives;

(e) lobby for legislation on issues affecting the youth;

(f) liaise with other organizations

to ensure that the youth gain access

to resources and services appropriate to their needs;

(g) promote relations between youth organizations and other bodies

both nationally and internationally with similar objectives or interests;

(h) inspire and promote the spirit of unity, patriotism, volunteerism and

service among the youth;

(i) formulate operational guidelines that protect the youth against any

form of abuse or manipulation;

(j) mobilize and sensitize relevant stakeholders on the concept of  community youth service;

(k) act as a voice and bridge to ensure that the Government and other policy makers are kept informed of the views and aspirations of the youth;

(l) promote research, collation and analysis of data on youth issues; (m) promote the inclusion of youth agenda in the formulation of policy by public institutions and organisations;

(n) promote the inclusion of youths in decision-making bodies, boards, agencies and other public institutions and organisations;

(o) promote and popularize the Youth Enterprise Development Fund and such other devolved funds

targeting the youth as may be established from time to time;

 (p) perform any other function that may directly or indirectly contribute to the attainment of the foregoing.

Historicity:

The idea of coming up with a National Youth Council first came up about two decades ago when vibrant youth movements inspired by the then effective civil society seeking mainstreaming of youth in matters government and a general desire towards youth empowerment.

Several initiatives to convince the government at different times to establish a National Youth Council starting with a national youth conference in March 1997 dubbed NYC I held in Limuru,  NYC II Limuru in February 1998, NYC III at KICC in Nairobi to NYC IV , the most remembered one done in September 2008 at Bomas of Kenya  .

The National Youth Council first made its way to parliament in 2004. It was until 2008 after the 2007/2008 post election violence that the Bill was brought in the National Accord that created the Coalition Government.

In the famous Article Four of the National Accord, the youth were identified for having played a leading role in the violence and one of the mitigation measures suggested in the National Accord was to have National Youth Council Bill passed into law.

That would wait till 2009 when parliament passed it and President Mwai Kibaki ascended it into law on 30^th of December 2009.

The government through the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports at the moment under Hon. Paul Otuoma moved to operationalize the council by carrying out National Youth Council elections in 2011 May. The exercise ground to a halt after two High Court petition is Nairobi and Nakuru stopped the process on 23^rd May. The cases would drag on in court for slightly over a year till 7^th August, 2012 when the last of the cases was ruled on in at the High Court Nakuru by Lady Justice Roselyne Wendo.

The period when the cases were before court, young people took to streets in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kakamega and Bungoma on several occasion to try force government to take the cases seriously because on several occasions the cases were postponed because government respondents, the Attoney General and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports never appeared in court.

After the court cases, the process having been given a clean bill of health was continued from September 2012 and the final elections were held on December 10^th at Kenya High School in Nairobi where more than 1000 youths from all the districts of Kenya gathered to elect 16 of them to the council.

The premier National Youth Council came into being was gazetted with the following as the first ever members of the council and its engraved in the indelible ink of history as recorded

in the gazette notice No. 194 of 21^st December, 2012 that reads thus:

THE NATIONAL YOUTH COUNCIL ACT
(No. 10 012009) APPOINTMENT

IN EXERCISE of the powers conferred by section 5 (1) (g) and (h) of the National Youth Council Act, 2009, the Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports appoints -

Under section 5 (1) (g)

Edwin Palapala,

Nesphory Nyange,

Rose Komu,
Vallen Yiaile,

Clement Ayungo,
Fatuma Harrow Abubakar,
Arnold  Maliba,

Benson Kitoo Mutemi,

Under section 5 (1) (h)

Mary Achieng,  
Billy Graham Okumu,
Julie Njen Waweru,
Samuel Kipkurui Chepkwony,
Rahow Abdi Jimale,
Dishon Memo,
Maganda Jackline,
Paul Mugambi,

to be a member of the National Youth Council, for a period of three (3) years, with effect from the 10th December, 2012.

Dated the 11th December, 2012.

Status of operationalisation:

Fast forward after the gazettment and the whole process has little if any progress. Four months down the line, the council doesn’t have an operational office and it was just a week ago (20^th April,2013) that the parent ministry managed to induct the members in Mombasa, four months later, the excuse has always been that there’s no money.

The Ministry of Youth Affaires and Sports has in one too many ways demonstrated unpreparedness fro the whole process. Every step has been taken belatedly and it has cost the council a lot of time and pressure from youths who don’t understand what’s happening.

The dream and noble idea that is the national youth council is wasting away because of an unprepared youth ministry, government beauracracy, and unwillingness by sections of government that to have the council up and running.

Despite the fact that the council has met severally and even elected its chairperson Clement Ayungo and set up working committees, the ministry says they never had factored in their budget operationalisation costs for the council.

The government has also not put in place the Youth Advisory Board, an important component in the functioning of the National Youth Council despite the fact that names to the board were availed by relevant  authorities over two months ago. The president is also yet to appoint the chair man to the board; all these are slowing the progress and match of the council, the only legal framework that the youth of this country can engage government and other stakeholders.

What’s needed to fully operationalize the council?

The council needs office, office equipment and stationery to run like any other organization. The Council also needs to hire its secretary who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and staff to run its affairs. There’s also need to have funds to facilitate day to day running of the affairs of the council.

Top on the priorities of the council’s action plan is to come up with a strategic plan, work plan, and facilitate the review the National Youth Policy which is due for review, to develop an integrated national youth development plan to be in synch with Vision2030 and other government policy statements to facilitate true mainstreaming of youth affairs in government.

The Council also has amendment of the National Youth Council Act, 2009 as priority to ensure that the law is aligned to the new constitution.

The Council’s in-tray is full but despite numerous visits to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and Treasury, lots of letters to the concerned persons nothing is forthcoming from the request to have a start up supplementary budget of Ksh. 30 million. The Council has also made a budget to treasury for the year 2013/14 but wasn’t successful in defending it because of time, logistical and beauracratic hurdles of aspects that ought to have been taken care of by the parent ministry, the council’s secretariat (that doesn’t exist as yet) and other government functions.

The work ahead;

The new government has a basketful of promises to the youth and days ahead for young people look bright going by the promises but the role of the National Youth Council in attaining the set vision by the Jubilee government for the youth of Kenya cannot be wished away and strengthening and making the council functional is a prerequisite for the government to achieve its word to the youth of Kenya.

The Council and an inter-ministerial committee on youth comprising representatives of relevant ministries dealing with youth issues need to be up and running to monitor and review the youth activities carried out by various players in the Government as stipulated in the action plan to be developed by the council and related government agencies dealing with youth issues.

Hope springs eternal!

Despite the insurmountable challenges bedeviling it, the council is working around the clock to unlock the process and so far there are reasons to toast up to; the new government has picked interest in having operational, youthful parliamentarians are also up and about working on jam starting this juggernaut that is NYC. In the coming days you are going to see so much get to work for the council. The 15 Million youth of Kenya and the 44,010 delegates should soon look up to this organization as their official voice and negotiator even as we await and work on 1 million jobs, 2.5% of national revenue going to youth enterprises, 30% government procurement to going the youth and that small matter about the Ksh. 6 billion being given to the youth in form of grants! Hope as they say, springs eternal!