Launch of two Publications by Youth Agenda

The Youth Agenda, a national youth organization, which strives to position young people in the local and national development processes launched two publications on August 31, 2010. These publications are;

• KENYA VISION 2030-A CRITICAL REVIEW BY KENYA’S YOUTH 
• DISPATCHES FROM THE POLITICAL CAFÉ 2009 

The former being a critique on vision 2030 or an analysis of Vision 2030 from the youths perspective and the latter being the an account of Political Cafe deliberations of year 2009.


To launch this book was Mugo Kabati the head of Vision 2030 Secretariat who was impressed by the work of the critique on Vision 2030 and looked forward to working with YA.


Review of  Kenya Vision 2030-A critique by Kenya's Youth
I have been going through Kenya Vision 2030-A critique by Kenya's Youth and it is a good read. It aims at ensuring that Kenya's youth have not been left out of the debate on feasibility of Vision 2030. This is because the implementation of this policy will have considerable implication in our lives. This policies will come to fruition at the prime of our active life.


The areas of concern highlighted in this book are;

• The conspicuous absence of cultural pillar outlining the shared national values;

However, on this the Director General of the KV2030 secretariat was quick to point out that once he got on the job. The issue of a fourth pillar (cultural pillar was one of his concerns). The secretariat has been working with like minded individuals such as Ken Njiru who is  Executive Director of Uungwana Resource Institute. Ken is one of the leading proponents of business ethics in Kenya i.e behind  “ushenzi” and “uungwana” campaigns.

• The limited popular participation in the vision formulation and subsequent poor communication which has resulted in lack of awareness amongst citizens;
• Transition challenges that may see the vision abandoned by successive governments;
• The limited capacity of the vision Delivery Secretariat to ensure all ministries and government agencies adhere to and implement the vision in addition to implement their ends; and
• The assumptions of the underlying the targets set by the vision;

Spotlight on Young African Leaders Forum 3-5/08/2010

Here are nice quotes coming from the president on the eve of his forum with Young African Leaders that shows his administration is clearing having a its eyes on Africa and thinking outside the box. 

"This is a new moment of great promise. Only this time, we’ve learned that it will not be giants like Nkrumah and Kenyatta who will determine Africa’s future… It will be the young people brimming with talent and energy and hope who can claim the future that so many in previous generations never realized.” – President Barack Obama

Obama Hosts Young African Leaders August 3–5

The US president will host African young leaders forum as from August 3-5 2010 and as fate should have it. He will also be celebrating his 49th birthday on August 4th 2010. Perhaps, this is the presidents gift to Africa as he celebrates his 49th birthday.
This conference brings together 100 young African leaders who will examine how they see Africa's future in the next 50 years and also come up with innovative solutions to the problems we face as they network and build working relationships.
This conference comes after he gave the 'Accra speech' in Ghana on his first visit to Africa as the president of USA where he put it bluntly that the future of Africa is with Africans themselves. This conference comes head over heals after an African team, the Ghanaians, sent the USA packing from the world cup!
The president has continued with the policies of previous presidents such as President Bill Clinton who came up with African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and his administration has come up with $ 3.5 billion food security initiative called feed the future which will help 12 African focus countries in modernizing their farm sectors.
So what does the president have in mind when he convened this forum?

“These steps are about more than growth numbers on a balance sheet. They’re about whether a young person with an education can get a job that supports a family; a farmer can transfer their goods to market; an entrepreneur with a good idea can start a business,” Obama said. “It’s about the dignity of work; it’s about the opportunity that must exist for Africans in the 21st century.”


So if he succeeds in his en devours we shall look in year 2060 and say the seeds of Africa's transformation started in 2010.

Below is the town hall meeting the president spared time for.

Town hall meeting at the white house

Important links:

• Feed the future website
• White house blog
• Obama's full speech at Town Hall meeting with Young African Leaders

Political Cafe (Sarova II) On Harmonized Draft Constitution on 08/12/2009

Youth Agenda Organized another session of Political Cafe on 8/12/09 to discuss the harmonized draft constitution (HDC) so as to come up with a memorandum to present to the committee of experts on the views of the youth who participate in youth agenda forums.
This is what I would refer to as Sarova II and it was organized because it was felt Sarova I did not exhaust the issues at hand to be discussed. Therefore, this cafe was convened from 1300hrs and took the better part of the afternoon.
The agenda of the cafe was to validate the recommendations of the previous cafe (Sarova I) and to discuss on the following chapters;
• Judiciary (Lead by Priscilla Nyokabi)
• Public Finance (Lead by John Mutua)
Priscilla Nyokabi from Kituo cha Sheria and John Mutua from Institute of Economic affairs was at hand to assist us run through these chapters. This is after they gave brief presentations.

Judiciary
A suggestion of pegging a certain percentage of our revenue (GDP) to be allocated to judiciary was raised.
The issue of structure of courts was queried especially Court of Appeal and Constitution Court. It was in our opinion that the HDC has no clear cut distinction as to which court is superior of the two.
Some members had problems with Kadhi's courts. However, I am of the opinion that they should be entrenched in the constitution as is the case in HDC. However, requirements of a degree either in law or Islamic studies should be added to strengthen them.

Public Finance
John Mutua advised us that one of the things we need look at when considering this chapter is aspect of cost benefit analysis. That would be when we decide to get rid of our current structure and come up with 74 counties as proposed in the HDC.
Although, no one has come up with the cost figures of devolved government as proposed in the HDC. In my view there is need to do this so as to debate this chapter with facts. We could borrow from what the US is doing when they are overhauling their health care system. They work with figures.