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 30th 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 23rd
May. The cases would drag on in court for slightly over a year till 7th
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 10th
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 21st
December, 2012 that reads thus:
THE
NATIONAL YOUTH COUNCIL ACT
(No. 10 012009) APPOINTMENT
(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,
Vallen Yiaile,
Clement
Ayungo,
Fatuma Harrow Abubakar,
Arnold Maliba,
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,
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 (20th 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!
thats great of NYC we should emulate our south african counterparts and by the way when are the next elections to be held
ReplyDeleteplz follow up on that
ReplyDeleteThe council was to run until Dec 2015.This is the Fourth year and no plans.Note that this is completely unconstitutional.
ReplyDelete