No leadership positions without hard work, MPs tell youths
Residents of Kisumu hold hands as a sign of peacebuilding during a national youth engagement meeting dubbed Sauti 47, on July 4, 2017. At a political leaders forum in Tanzania on November 13, 2019, MPs advised youths on leaders opportunities. PHOTO | ONDARI OGEGA | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- MPs Sylvia Kasanga, David Ochieng and Sylvanus Maritim noted that the youth have craved leadership opportunities for long but that they will not be given power if they don't work on their courses.
- Ainamoi MP Sylvanus Maritim reminded the youths that being a leader comes with many challenges that should never be taken lightly.
- He further urged the EAC to expedite the process of establishing a political federation, whose delay he said has made it difficult for citizens to do business in other countries within the region.
Three legislators have warned the youth that they will not get leadership positions unless they work hard and remain committed to ideals.
Nominated Senator Sylvia Kasanga and MPs David Ochieng (Ugenya) and Sylvanus Maritim (Ainamoi) noted that the youth have craved leadership opportunities for long but that they will not be given power if they don't work on their courses.
“We must always remain consistent. Stay true to the reason why you want to be a leader,” said Mr Ochieng, who vied for the position in the by-election in April under his little known party, Movement for Democracy and Growth (MDG).
AUTHENTICITY
Mr Ochieng said nobody believed he could defeat Christopher Karan, a candidate in Raila Odinga's party, the Orange Democratic Movement.
The mini-election was triggered after a court nullified Mr Karan's election on August 8, 2017.
The Ugenya MP said, “A message that is true and authentic will make people listen to you. You must dare yourself if you get to the election."
He and the other MPs spoke on Wednesday during an East Africa under 40 political leaders forum in Arusha, Tanzania.
The forum, the first of its kind, is dedicated to interrogating political attitudes and practices to find out if they represent the legitimate aspirations and voice of the region’s youth.
It is geared towards formulating an East Africa Youth Manifesto and the East Africa Youth Want Campaign to chart their course.
CHALLENGES
Mr Maritim reminded the youths that being a leader comes with many challenges that should never be taken lightly.
“When you get there you will realise that the expectations and pressures tend to increase. You need to ask yourself what you will do for the electorate," he said.
The Ainamoi MP further urged the East African Community (EAC) to expedite the process of establishing a political federation, whose delay he said has made it difficult for citizens to do business in other countries within the region.
Ms Kasanga noted the difficulty in retaining a leadership position after acquiring it.
“Even as you seek the positions, realise they are not vacant. The people in those positions are not ready to let go of power because it is sweet and addictive,” he said.
DRIVE
Former Burundian President Sylvestre Ntibantunganya and East Africa Legislative Assembly Speaker Martin Gonga also addressed the forum.
Mr Gonga said, “We would not be wise to give leadership to you. Claim and grab it but let it not be a contest between the young and the old."
The event drew delegates from EAC member countries - Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and Southern Sudan.
It also included actors from State and non-State organisations who are working on youth-driven solutions to communal challenges and regional development.
