Youth signal readiness for political leadership

• The youth’s vision is stated as the transformation of Kenya into a democratic, just and prosperous nation.
• Youth demand also that all men and women aged over 55 must be immediately retired.

The Kenyan youth, under the auspices of the Youth Agenda, last week held a three-day convention under the theme, Rebuilding Our nation, Reconciling Our Communities: Challenges and Prospects for Young Kenyans, at Bomas of Kenya, Nairobi.

A thousand young people had been invited to the meting, but only about 1,300 turned up.

The youths sang, danced, ate, drank and heard speeches from Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Justice minister Martha Karua, the Rev Timothy Njoya and several other leaders. Various donors and foundations also had representatives.

Political agitation does in part generate massive sexual energy among young people, and the convention was no exception. And the Youth Agenda very responsibly made condoms available.

The visit to the convention by the two potential presidential candidates for 2012, maybe shows the political muscle that the youth constituency is flexing.

Both Mr Odinga and Ms Karua are adept at wooing potential constituencies, and they seem to have excessive political energy, too. But not all the youths were happy with the potential presidential candidates’ invitation.

The Youth Agenda’s argument, however, was that the Kenyan youth must get their agenda heard where there is political space. Besides, the organisation argued, the convention was a forum for discussing whatever policies both leaders had for the youth.

However, some youth groups were conspicuous by their absence. They included the youth leadership from the corporate, religious and trade union sectors.

The Youth Agenda has invited the groups to previous conventions. It is important to realise, though, that the youth are not a homogeneous mixture and that there is need to have a common agenda reflected in a programme that all sectors will support.

Youths who support the political, economic and social status quo forms the minority. But even those from privileged social groups are convinced that the country needs economic, social and political change.

It is the content of this change that reflected differences in the various speeches the youths gave at the convention.

Revolution was yet again on the youths’ lips. Articulated in an anarchical and adventurist manner, some called for the seizure of political power if real changes were to take root.

But if they want to revisit the revolution issue they they should be prepared to read a lot, reflect on its history and understand the political consequences.

It was exciting to see revolutionary optimism displayed at a time when neo-liberalism is in a deep crisis. And does the grand coalition government have any grand idea how it hopes to implement reforms that will start resolving the youth’s plight?

It is time to revisit and re-interrogate people liberating and transforming paradigms that neo-liberalism has declared dead.

The convention ultimately agreed on a set of 14 resolutions that call for specific reforms in the nation’s economic, social, cultural and political aspects.

Any political force that wishes to win the youth constituency must study these resolutions carefully, for they are at the core of the plight of the youth in Kenya.

One of the resolutions, in the opinion of the youth, needs to be addressed now, and not later — the immediate formulation and implementation of a blueprint on job creation for the millions of unemployed youths.

The youth demand also that all men and women aged over 55 must be immediately retired from the civil service and the state corporations.

The youth’s vision is stated as the transformation of Kenya into a democratic, just and prosperous nation.

They undertake to establish a democratic and progressive youth-led transformation movement.

On political alliances, the youth pledge to work with pro-change political leaders as well as local and international organisations and forums that promote the emancipation of the youth and the nation as a whole.

But the critical question the national convention did not address is who will carry out the reforms the youth demand.

The meeting accused the grant coalition government of being anti-youth, anti-people, wasteful, corrupt and non-accountable.

The convention did not seem to expect reforms to be undertaken by the Government.

As Kenyans continue discussions on reforms, the fundamental issue of which political force will carry out fundamental reforms will have to be resolved.

I have suggested in these columns before that the Progressive Parties Alliance call a national political convention to launch a movement to address this issue. Kenya needs a political convention to discuss the grand coalition government’s replacement.

That convention must convince Kenyans that a new and alternative leadership is ready to take over state power and carry out reforms for national survival.