Thursday, July 29, 2010

What Ails the Youth in Kenya Today and why we need Un-Yoke the Status Quo

What Ails the Youth in Kenya Today and why we need Un-Yoke the Status Quo

By Emmanuel Dennis - July 29th 2010

Since the 90's the young people in Kenya have been championing for meaningful participation in the national agenda. In deed many young people came out fighting for the space and to them we owe a high respect for the democratic space that has been achieved. Some of them were maimed and harmed some even jailed and other killed. For those that were killed championing for the rights of their fellow youth, their blood should not be left to drain to the oceans. A few too many organizations have sprung up to addressing the issues of the youth and in the long run. Some have been extremely successful and others have ended up as projects of a few individuals to perpetuate the culture of self sustainace at the expense of Kenyan youth. Indeed many organizations today lack the capacity to lead Kenyan youth to a better country. While it should be respected that some of this organizations have been a source for livelihoods for the few who serve them, the occupants have become too comfortable as to continue the culture of sustaining problems in order to stay afloat.

The Generational Change in Kenya is yet to be realized after the first group of octogenarians took over the leadership of Kenya. That generation has now come to its sunset days but continues to control almost all the resources that Kenya has from the economy to the social strata that is the bedrock of our future.  Young people have continued to linger in poverty and hopelessness while the system continues to rot through misrule.

The Uhuru Generation (post Independence) that was supposed to take over Leadership has not come out strongly to give a stab at the National leadership of Kenya. In deed the same generation looks at the politics of 2012 as their last chance. Younger generations have been upset and extremely disappointed at the lack of good will and bold move to clinch the Kenyan leadership by the Uhuru Generation. The younger generation, now also focuses on the 2012 elections as its launch pad for the leadership. The leadership baton has long been abandoned and the country lacks in a transition mechanism that should be the system to enthrone the younger generation to take over the responsibility. Without the transition systems, our society becomes a place where leadership becomes like a tug of war among frustrated individuals. This fuels violence and that is why many communities avenge the tactics of the other in the quest to clinch leadership.

The Kenyan politic has been marred by same old tactic every year that elections have been held. The clamor for good governance has now become more but a profiteering process for a few individuals both in the August house as well as the Civil Society. The society has become a man eat man society and thus the country is under grabs from those who are championing for change, just to turn out to be worse than those who went after them. The Current Parliament being a perfect example of the pro reform leaders who have ended up becoming the most gluttonous Members of Parliament on the face of earth who are only interested in attaining more allowances and salaries at the expense of tax payers. In deed earlier on last week all MPs united under the Speakers Kamkunji and decided not to be taxed should the president not ascent to their selfish scavenging habits of increasing their pay and allowances that are tax free.

The way of doing things in Kenya has to be relooked, reworked and radically changed if the young have to take over the leadership of Kenya. An innovative, yet radical approach must be found so that the voices of young people are heard on national agenda.

This will be the main focus of the discussions that a select group of passionate young leaders will be exploring in the next couple of weeks in order to come up with a futuristic approach of addressing the challenges that the young have been facing in Kenya. In deed independent thinking individuals, committed, and angry enough about the status quo driven by the factor of doing something for Kenya are the ingredients of the kind of leadership that Kenya needs today. It is only through a few committed individuals that Kenya will begin to change. But it shall not only be a few individuals, every community in Kenya, needs that kind of dialogue. The dialogue that will extrapolate the thinking of tomorrow with local solutions. The grassroots will need to be part of this dialogue. It is only through organizing the grassroots that the whole country will have a buy in. It shall not be a pre set agenda but an open space for locally designed solutions. A people's solution that will un-yoke Kenya from misrule and modern day dictatorship.  The FUTURE Platform will be leading you through the various discussions and many young people are welcome to be part of this discussion that will explore different options that  the Kenyan youth have today to resolve the puzzle of leadership into a meshwork of possibilities as we head to the general elections in 2012.

Keep reading this space.

ED



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REWORK THE WORLD
www.reworktheworld.org

Join the Green Teams Initiative ...and be a part of the Simple Solutions that resolve the Global Complex Ecological Challenges

..........
Emmanuel Dennis Ngongo
YES Kenya Leader
Initiator of the Green Teams Initiative
P.O. Box 8799, 00200
Nairobi Kenya
Cell: +46706048398
http://emmanuel-ed.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Emmanueldennis
http://www.facebook.com/?sk=messages&tid=397764087384#!/group.php?gid=124947050868208&v=info&ref=ts

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

When the Truth Comes out After August 4th

When the Truth Comes out after August 4th!

The moment of the truth will be known immediately the results from the referendum start trickling in at the tallying center. Watching as the campaigns went on, one is left to wonder why some of the politicians both in the YES and NO Camp have not read the draft and go out to out rightly lie to Kenyans on the content of the draft.

From a vantage point it is important to note that we will all remain Kenyans after the referendum. What the NO and YES camps need to realize is that we all need to dialogue as Kenyans to forge a common future for all of us. It is all important to note that we will have those who will have voted YES and those who will have voted NO. The most fundamental issue that has not been addressed is what happens after one side comes out victorious.

Should the losing side look at itself as a loser, and should the winning side look at itself as the winner? What should we as Kenyans do with the results that will be announced? Do we congratulate those who will have won and laugh at those who will have lost?

As young people we have an uphill task to hold this country together. Whether in YES or NO, our country should be held as united and we need to find out what to do with the voices of the side that will not have won the referendum. It is fundamental that we find a dialogue to incorporate a process that will be seen to listen to those voices of discontent. While we all appreciate the fact that the draft is 90% good, the 10% must also be addressed so that we accommodate the voices of the minority.

Democracy is all about giving the victor a chance and giving the non victor a voice. The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. If our eyes can see the point of views of our opponents then we will have discovered a new path to democratic governance in Kenya

Be the first to come out and protect Kenya from falling. Let us as Young people prove beyond reasonable doubt that we can protect our country. Let is prove wrong those who are spreading word that there will be tension and possible chaos after the referendum. We are going to be in this country longer that our Political friends who want us to fight, for if you fight and hurt other, you lose more. Ni sisi Twaweza.


Emmanuel Dennis.

 



--
--
REWORK THE WORLD
www.reworktheworld.org

Join the Green Teams Initiative ...and be a part of the Simple Solutions that resolve the Global Complex Ecological Challenges

..........
Emmanuel Dennis Ngongo
YES Kenya Leader
Initiator of the Green Teams Initiative
P.O. Box 8799, 00200
Nairobi Kenya
Cell: +46706048398
http://emmanuel-ed.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Emmanueldennis
http://www.facebook.com/?sk=messages&tid=397764087384#!/group.php?gid=124947050868208&v=info&ref=ts